Kazakhstan votes in favor of building a nuclear power plant

In a nationwide referendum in Kazakhstan, the electorate has voted in favor of the construction of a nuclear power plant. According to the preliminary results, 5.56 million of the 7.5 million eligible voters voted in favor, or 71.12 percent, reports Kazakh state television, citing the Central Election Commission in the capital Astana. Around two thirds of the almost 7.5 million eligible voters would have taken part in the vote to achieve the necessary majority for it to be valid.

Kazakhstan has been debating the construction of a nuclear power plant for years. Although the country has large oil and gas reserves, there are problems with its energy supply. So far, Kazakhstan has managed without nuclear power thanks to its own large coal reserves, explains the government. However, consumption is increasing, the power plants are outdated, there are environmental problems and the health of people living near the power plants is suffering.

As Kazakhstan also has uranium deposits, nuclear power could be the solution. However, there are also movements against nuclear power plants in the country. President Kassym-Shomart Tokayev therefore decided to put the issue to a popular vote.

IAEA has no objections

According to the Central Election Commission, the lowest voter turnout was in Almaty, where just under 23 percent of eligible voters took part in the vote. Almaty, in the south-east of the former Soviet republic, is the likely location of the future nuclear power plant and a majority of Kazakhs are said to have voted in favor of its construction. According to the Kazakh government, the nuclear power plant is to be built on the shores of Lake Balchash. Experts from the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) confirmed a year ago that there were no objections to the planned location.

Even before the referendum, the possibility of awarding the construction contract to foreign companies had been under consideration. In addition to the Chinese power plant operator CNNC and the South Korean KNHP, the French EDF, the US companies GE-Hitachi and Nuscale and the Russian Rosatom are also being considered.

There is a decommissioned nuclear power plant in Aqtau on the Caspian Sea, which produced 90 MWe of electricity from 1973 to 1999. The reactor heated a seawater desalination plant.

(anw)