Rosatom has proposed establishing a large-scale nuclear cluster alongside the planned small nuclear power plant (SNPP) in Uzbekistan, according to statements by Alexey Likhachev, Director General of the Russian state nuclear corporation. Likhachev outlined the proposal in an interview with the Rossiya-24 television channel.
According to Likhachev, the initiative goes beyond the construction of housing for nuclear sector employees.
“We proposed to the leadership of Uzbekistan to create not only a city of nuclear workers, but also a nuclear cluster that would include nuclear medicine, agriculture, healthcare, and materials science,” he said.
He added that Russia’s Kurchatov Institute, Rosatom’s main scientific organization, is participating in the concept. Likhachev noted that the proposed cluster would also require advanced technological infrastructure.
“This complex would need its own digital industry, digital solutions, and a data processing center,” he said.
As a result, the project envisions the development of an integrated scientific and industrial environment rather than a standalone residential settlement. According to Rosatom’s estimates, 20,000 to 30,000 employees are planned to live there in the coming decades.
The proposal was discussed during a meeting on January 27, when President of Uzbekistan Shavkat Mirziyoyev received Alexey Likhachev. The talks focused on practical aspects of implementing the project to build an integrated nuclear power facility in Uzbekistan, as well as on expanding bilateral cooperation in the peaceful use of nuclear energy.
Uzbekistan and Russia have been cooperating in the nuclear energy sector since December 2017, when an intergovernmental agreement was signed covering nuclear cooperation, including the construction of Uzbekistan’s first nuclear power plant. At that time, the project envisioned two power units with a capacity of 1,200 megawatts each, with the first unit, valued at approximately $11bn, initially planned to be commissioned in 2028.
Subsequently, Uzbekistan decided to shift toward the construction of a small nuclear power plant. A new contract with Rosatom for the design, supply, and construction of the small nuclear power plant was signed in Tashkent on May 27, 2024, during the state visit of Russian President Vladimir Putin. The facility is planned to be built near Lake Tuzkon in the Forish district of the Jizzakh region.
