Putin and Mirziyoev launch construction of first Uzbek NPP

The construction of a nuclear power plant in Uzbekistan's Navoiy region was launched today.

Russian President Vladimir Putin and Uzbek President Shavkat Mirziyoev pressed a symbolic button together at a ceremony in a conference hall in Tashkent to mark the start of geological surveying to decide a location for what would be Uzbekistan's first NPP.

Deputy Prime Minister of Uzbekistan Alisher Sultanov and General Director of Russia's Rosatom Aleksey Likhachev were at one of the priority sites for construction of the NPP.

"Two reactors with a capacity of 2.4 Megawatts each will produce cheap and clean electricity for customers in Uzbekistan and Central Asian countries, which will ensure energetic stability not only for Uzbekistan but for the whole region," Putin said.

According to Putin's foreign-policy aide, Yury Ushakov, the project is said to be worth $11 billion and is expected to come online in 2028, RFE/RL reported.

Several documents, including a plan of Russian-Uzbek cooperation for 2019-24, a memorandum on cooperation in the oil and gas sectors, a program on cultural and humanitarian cooperation, and other agreements were signed during Putin's visit.