Russia’s Nuclear Ambitions in Central Asia

Hoping to raise some much-needed cash to fuel the Kremlin’s war effort in Ukraine, Rosatom, Russia’s state-controlled nuclear entity, is promoting nuclear power as a “green” solution to Central Asia’s energy problems. But Rosatom’s efforts to reassure Central Asian citizens about the safety and environmental friendliness of Russian nuclear solutions are being undermined by reports of haphazard operational practices.

Central Asia’s weakened power grid is Struggling to meet the growing demand, which even Kazakhstan, the most advanced economic state in the region, is facing power outages. Kazakhstan, Uzbekistan and Kyrgyzstan are looking at nuclear power as a potential solution to electricity supply challenges. The main concern about building nuclear power plants in Central Asia involves safety in a seismic zone: the region is prone to strong EARTHQUAKES.

Rosatom is working hard to assure Central Asian leaders and citizens alike that it has the answers to meet the region’s nuclear needs.

In an interview based in Kyrgyzstan Kaktus MediaDmitri Konstantinov, Rosatom’s chief representative in the Central Asian state, tried to dispel concerns about the safety standards of Russian-designed reactors. Such concerns are not only related to the legacy of the Chernobyl disaster in 1986, but also to tragedies such as the sinking of the Kursk nuclear submarine in 2000.

“The increased seismic activity of the region (Central Asia) requires increased attention to ensure the safety of a nuclear power plant,” Konstantinov said. “Modern Russian reactors … fully comply with them (safety standards).”

The reactors that Rosatom is trying to build in Central Asia are small, low-power models called RITM-200N. So far, these reactors have been deployed mainly at sea, powering three Russian icebreakers sailing in Arctic waters, as well as the floating nuclear reactor. Akademik Lomonosov.

Konstantinov stated that “active and passive safety systems” allow the RITM-200N reactors to operate safely under “high shock loads”, thereby protecting against accidents caused by earthquakes that recorded 8 per Richter scale. To sharpen his sales pitch, Konstantinov noted that nuclear power generation emits no greenhouse gases and is compatible with other “green” energy sources, including wind and solar power. He said nuclear power can act as a “baseline”, working in tandem with renewables to “mitigate peak loads”.

“Only Russia has experience in the construction of low-power stations,” Konstantinov claimed.

In the interview, he said that Rosatom was close to finalizing an agreement with Kyrgyzstan to build a nuclear power plant with six RITM-200N reactors with a total capacity of 330 megawatts annually and an operational life of up to 60 years. Kyrgyz officials have made no public announcement about the decision to build a plant, although the country’s parliament in early 2024 approved the resumption uranium mining.

Uzbekistan signed in June a agreement with Russia to install up to six low-power reactors, each with a generating capacity of 55 MW, similar to those planned in Kyrgyzstan. Kazakhstan will hold a national competition referendum in October to proceed with plans to build a nuclear power plant there. Kazakh officials have not disclosed which entity would get the contract to build the plant, if the referendum is approved.

While modern Russian nuclear reactor designs may meet international safety standards, Russia has a history of haphazard practices in plant operation as well as nuclear waste handling. At the end of 2023, for example, Rosatom used a cargo ship with a history of security violations to provide a new supply of nuclear fuel Akademik Lomonosov. Last April, a state of emergency was declared in the Far Eastern city of Khabarovsk due to a radiation leak.

Russia also has a irregular inheritance disposal of spent nuclear fuel. With Russian resources focused on supporting its war effort in Ukraine, the state’s ability to continue efforts to clean up nuclear pollution in the Arctic is on YOU.

Of Eurasianet.org

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