Tashkent (TDI): Uzbekistan has launched the construction of its first nuclear power plant in a ceremony that brought together the presidents of both Uzbekistan and Russia, along with the head of the world’s nuclear watchdog.
President Shavkat Mirziyoyev and Russian President Vladimir Putin officially launched construction of the first power unit of an integrated nuclear power plant in Uzbekistan on Thursday.
The ceremony, conducted via videoconference, was also attended by Rafael Mariano Grossi, Director General of the International Atomic Energy Agency.
The project is described as genuinely unique: for the first time, small and large-capacity nuclear power plants will be built on a single site.
A major nuclear milestone for Uzbekistan today and an important step for Uzbekistan’s energy future 🇺🇿
Participated in the first concrete pouring ceremony of Uzbekistan’s first SMR project, in the presence of @president_uz Shavkat Mirziyoyev and President Vladimir Putin. The… pic.twitter.com/qiJkkZ81rA
— Rafael Mariano Grossi (@rafaelmgrossi) June 4, 2026
The facility will comprise two large-capacity power units based on VVER-1000 reactors and a unit featuring two RITM-200N reactors, each with a capacity of 55 megawatts.
The pouring of the “first concrete” into the reactor building foundation marks the facility’s transition to the status of a “new nuclear power plant under construction” under IAEA standards.
Speaking at the ceremony, Mirziyoyev emphasized that safety is an absolute and unconditional priority, with construction being carried out under constant IAEA supervision and in accordance with advanced international standards using cutting-edge engineering solutions.
He said the plant’s construction marks the beginning of a new stage in the country’s technological, industrial, and scientific development, laying the foundation for nuclear energy to emerge as an entirely new sector of the national economy.
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Also taking part in the ceremony were Rosatom First Deputy Director General Andrei Petrov and Uzatom Director Azim Akhmedkhadjaev. Russia’s state nuclear corporation Rosatom is the lead contractor on the project.
Putin, speaking from St. Petersburg where he had also held a bilateral meeting with Mirziyoyev, described the launch as the practical start of work on one of the largest nuclear power plants in the region, noting the symbolic significance of the two leaders initiating the project together.
For Uzbekistan, a country facing growing electricity demand and heavy reliance on ageing gas-fired generation, the plant represents a strategic pivot.
Mirziyoyev expressed confidence that the project’s outcomes will contribute to further strengthening the Uzbek-Russian comprehensive strategic partnership, deepening a bilateral relationship that spans energy, trade, and security.
