Kazakhstan’s famed hospitality, long enshrined in its national proverbs, has also become a guiding principle in its foreign policy. One recent example is the Kazakh government’s diplomatic maneuvering in the selection of partners for its nuclear power program.
Leader of the Race
Initially, Kazakhstan planned to build a single nuclear power plant by 2035 to address potential electricity shortages. However, following the October 6, 2024, referendum, where 71.12% of voters approved a plant in the Almaty Region, President Kassym-Jomart Tokayev instructed the government to explore the construction of at least two additional facilities. This directive, as it turns out, was both timely and strategic.
In March 2025, the newly formed Atomic Energy Agency, reporting directly to the president, was tasked with overseeing the selection of international consortium leaders. On June 14, the agency announced that Russia’s state-owned Rosatom would lead the consortium to build Kazakhstan’s first nuclear power plant.
Rosatom CEO Alexey Likhachev welcomed the decision, stating that the VVER-1200 Generation 3+ reactors, already operating in Russia and Belarus and selected by partners in Hungary, Egypt, Turkey, Bangladesh, and China, would be used. These reactors, he emphasized, meet international safety standards and integrate both active and passive safety systems.
Tricks Up Their Sleeves
Behind the scenes, the selection process revealed a quiet tug-of-war between Chinese and Russian interests. Ultimately, Rosatom prevailed, thanks, in part, to two strategic moves.
First, Rosatom’s supporters enlisted Assystem, an ostensibly independent nuclear engineering consultancy, to assist Kazakhstan Atomic Power Plants LLP in the evaluation process. The firm’s analysis favored Rosatom.
Second, to pre-empt concerns about Western sanctions, the Kazakh authorities emphasized that Kazakhstan would be the sole owner and operator of the facility. Atomic Energy Agency head Almasadam Satkaliev stated that Kazakhstan would control the entire production cycle from uranium mining to fuel processing and plant maintenance, thereby limiting direct Russian involvement post-construction.
This arrangement may allow the creation of a Kazakh legal entity immune to Western sanctions, as it would be wholly state-owned. Whether this could offer Rosatom a loophole for acquiring restricted components remains an open question but one that few may press given the global interest in nuclear safety.
Another Contender Emerges
Just hours after Rosatom’s contract was announced, Satkaliev made a second, equally strategic statement: China National Nuclear Corporation (CNNC) would lead the construction of Kazakhstan’s second nuclear power plant. Satkaliev cited CNNC’s “strongest proposals” and revealed plans for a broader agreement on nuclear cooperation with China.
“Objectively, few countries can master the entire nuclear cycle. China is one of them,” Satkaliev noted.
Back in February, prior to the agency’s creation, Kazakhstan’s Ministry of Energy, then also led by Satkaliev, had identified Kurchatov and Aktau as potential sites for future nuclear facilities. Kurchatov lies near the former Semipalatinsk nuclear test site, while Aktau once hosted the Soviet-era BN-350 fast neutron reactor.
The timing of Satkaliev’s announcement is no coincidence. Chinese President Xi Jinping is scheduled to visit Kazakhstan on June 16 for the second China-Central Asia Summit. For a nation that prides itself on hospitality, delivering news of a Chinese loss in a strategic bidding war just ahead of a state visit would be diplomatically tone-deaf, especially given China’s role as Kazakhstan’s leading investor.
Tokayev’s foresight in authorizing plans for three nuclear plants and establishing a presidentially controlled agency gave Kazakhstan the flexibility to diplomatically appease both Moscow and Beijing within hours.
Who Will Build the Third Plant?
In addition to Rosatom and CNNC, the shortlist of vendors for the third plant includes South Korea’s KHNP and France’s EDF. It now appears likely that one of these Western companies will be tapped to construct the third nuclear power plant, offering Kazakhstan the geopolitical balance it seeks in an increasingly multipolar energy landscape.
