Is another referendum necessary for the construction of a second nuclear power plant in Kazakhstan?

"There is no need for a referendum. According to the legislation, this station will be built by the government's decision," - reported the head of the Ministry of Energy.

Regarding the potential location for the second nuclear power plant, Satkaliev stated that this will be decided by a commission, but he added that Kurchatov is being considered as one of the promising locations.

Recall that today, at an extended government meeting, Prime Minister Olzhas Bektanov announced that Kazakhstan will work on determining the region for the construction of the second nuclear power plant.

After hearing the report, President Kassym-Jomart Tokayev instructed to expedite the construction of Kazakhstan's first nuclear power plant and also to identify a site for the second one.

Nuclear Power Plant Construction in Kazakhstan

In 2019, it became known that there are plans to build a Kazakh nuclear power plant in the Almaty region. More specifically, the village of Ulken was indicated as the location. At the end of 2021, the head of the Ministry of Energy, Almasadam Satkaliev, confirmed that the nuclear station could indeed be located in this village.

In June 2022, the Ministry of Energy reported that a shortlist of four suppliers was compiled for the first nuclear power plant in Kazakhstan after reviewing their technologies. At the same time, Satkaliev stated that the station would not be built if the people of Kazakhstan do not support the idea.

In November 2023, the head of the Ministry of Energy revealed when the company that will build the nuclear power plant in Kazakhstan would be selected. In December, the approximate amount planned for the construction of the country's first nuclear power plant became known.

In June of this year, President Kassym-Jomart Tokayev announced that a referendum would be held in Kazakhstan to decide whether to build a nuclear power plant in the country.

The voting took place on October 6 of this year. Kazakh citizens were asked to answer one question: "Do you agree with the construction of a nuclear power plant in Kazakhstan?" To express their position on this matter, citizens needed to place a checkmark or cross next to one of two response options - "yes" or "no."

According to the Central Election Commission, the turnout was 63.87%, meaning more than 7.8 million Kazakh citizens participated in the voting. The number of votes in favor of the positive decision was 71.12%, or 5,561,937. The number of citizens who voted against was 2,045,271.