Uzbekistan’s Atomic Energy Agency (Uzatom) has provided an explanation for delays in the construction of the country’s nuclear power plant, citing the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic and extended negotiations with the Russian state nuclear corporation Rosatom. The clarification was made by Otabek Amanov, Deputy Director of the Nuclear Power Plant Construction Directorate, during a public hearing held on December 23.
Uzbekistan and Russia signed an intergovernmental agreement on the construction of a nuclear power plant in September 2018. This was followed in January 2019 by contracts for engineering and survey work in several potential locations, including areas near Lake Tudakul in the Bukhara region, the Navoi region, and the Aydar-Arnasay lake system in the Jizzakh region.
Engineering and environmental studies, including engineering-geological, hydrogeological, and hydrometeorological research, were conducted across all proposed sites over a period of approximately 1.5 years. In May 2019, based on requirements and recommendations from the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA), a priority site and an alternative site were selected in the Jizzakh region.
Between 2019 and 2021, comprehensive survey work continued at the selected locations. In December 2021, the results of these surveys were approved as part of the technical design process, and the priority construction site was formally confirmed. Following the completion of the survey phase, negotiations with Rosatom on the project’s next stages began. Amanov noted that these discussions were complex and extended over a prolonged period. As a result of the negotiations, the main agreement on the construction of a small nuclear power plant was signed in May 2024.
In April 2025, preliminary construction activities commenced at the site, including work on a construction and installation base, temporary accommodation facilities, and supporting infrastructure. Addressing public questions regarding the delay in the project timeline, which had initially envisioned completion by 2028, Amanov stated that Uzatom and its Russian partners continued work during the COVID-19 pandemic to the extent possible.
However, border closures and quarantine measures in 2020–2021 notably limited the ability of foreign contractors and specialists to enter Uzbekistan, affecting project schedules. As per to Amanov, the combined impact of pandemic-related restrictions and prolonged negotiations led to a revision of the completion timeline from 2028 to 2029. He added that project participants aim to implement the revised plans within the updated schedule.
A key construction milestone was reached on October 9, when excavation work began at the site in the Jizzakh region for the RITM-200N reactor unit, marking the start of the main construction phase of the small nuclear power plant project.
