Tokayev reiterated that Kazakhstan is exploring the establishment of an international consortium for the construction of a nuclear power plant.

According to the official Telegram channel of Akorda, during the 36th plenary session of the Foreign Investors Council, Kassym-Jomart Tokayev addressed the situation in the energy sector today.

The head of state acknowledged the contributions of international oil companies, which have played a vital role in the development of the country.

"Foreign investors have invested capital, provided advanced technologies, and offered highly skilled labor. Their investments have facilitated the growth of our energy sector: over the past 30 years, oil production has tripled. As a result, Kazakhstan has entered the top five countries with high rates of oil production growth. Looking to the future, we aim to surpass the threshold of 100 million tons per year," said the president.

It was further noted that the expansion of the petrochemical industry is also crucial for diversifying the economy.

"In 2022, we launched the largest polypropylene production plant in Central Asia with a capacity of 500,000 tons per year. Currently, this facility meets nearly 60% of domestic demand and exports products to Europe, Turkey, and China. In September of this year, construction began on a polyethylene production plant with a capacity of 1.2 million tons per year. We are also developing several petrochemical projects worth over $14 billion," reported Kassym-Jomart Tokayev.

Special attention in the speech was given to enhancing the investment attractiveness of the "clean energy" sector. Specifically, concrete agreements have been reached for the implementation of 43 GW of "green" projects in Kazakhstan with global companies such as Total, Svevind, ACWA Power, and Masdar. Additionally, Kazakhstan has immense potential for the development of nuclear energy.

"Our country is the largest producer of uranium in the world. As you may know, citizens recently supported the construction of the first nuclear power plant in a national referendum, which will serve as a long-term investment in our energy security. We are currently considering the possibility of creating an international consortium to implement this project," added the president of Kazakhstan.

Recall that today the head of state held the 36th plenary session of the Foreign Investors Council. During the event, speeches were also made by the president of the EBRD, Odile Renaud-Basso, Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of National Economy Nurlan Baibazarov, Chairman of the Kazakhstan Council of Foreign Investors Erlan Dosymbekov, Vice President of CNPC Zhang Dawei, Chairman of the Eurasian Development Bank Nikolai Podguzov, President of Alstom for Africa, the Middle East, and Central Asia Andrew Deleoni, and CEO of Lukoil Vadim Vorobyov.

In 2019, it was announced that a nuclear power plant was planned to be built in the Almaty region, with the village of Ulken being specified as the exact location. At the end of 2021, the head of the Ministry of Energy, Almasadam Satkaliyev, confirmed that the nuclear power plant could be located in this village.

In June 2022, the Ministry of Energy reported that a shortlist of four suppliers had been compiled for the first nuclear power plant in Kazakhstan after reviewing their technologies. Satkaliyev stated that the plant would not be built if the citizens of Kazakhstan did not support the idea.

In November 2023, the head of the Ministry of Energy revealed when a company would be selected to construct the nuclear power plant in Kazakhstan. In December, an approximate amount planned for the construction of the first nuclear power plant in the country was disclosed.

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 Sunday, October 6. Kazakhstanis were asked to respond to one question: "Do you agree with the construction of a nuclear power plant in Kazakhstan?" To express their position, citizens needed to check a box or mark against one of the two answer options - "yes" or "no."

According to the Central Election Commission, the turnout was 63.87%, meaning more than 7.8 million Kazakhstanis 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.

After the voting, Deputy Prime Minister Roman Sklyar explained how they plan to select a contractor for the construction of the nuclear power plant. The Vice Minister of National Economy, Arman Kasenov, stated that the nuclear power plant could be built in installments.

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