On 20 June, on the sidelines of the St. Petersburg International Economic Forum, the Atomic Energy Agency under the Cabinet of Ministers of the Republic of Uzbekistan (Uzatom) and Rosatom signed an agreement to study the possibilities of implementing a project to construct a large nuclear power plant in the Republic of Uzbekistan. The signing ceremony was attended by Azim Akhmedkhaidzhayev, Director of the Atomic Energy Agency under the Cabinet of Ministers of the Republic of Uzbekistan and Alexey Likhachev, Director General of Rosatom.

The agreement followed the arrangements made during the state visit of Russian President Vladimir Putin to Uzbekistan on 27 May 2024. At a meeting between Shavkat Mirziyoyev, President of the Republic of Uzbekistan, and Alexey Likhachev, Director General of Rosatom, held on the sidelines of the International Industrial Exhibition “INNOPROM. Central Asia” on 28April 2025 the Uzbek party announced its decision to build a large NPP. On 9 May 2025 during the visit of Shavkat Mirziyoyev, President of the Republic of Uzbekistan, to Vladimir Putin, President of the Russian Federation, the Uzbek party announced its decision to study the possibility of constructing a large NPP.
The document specifies the main terms and conditions for the potential implementation of the construction of two VVER-1000 power units with possible upgrade to four units. The project employs Russian technologies that have been proven to be reliable and safe both domestically and at foreign sites in China (Tianwan NPP) and India (Kudankulam NPP). So far, VVER-type reactors have been operating for more than 420 reactor years in total.
“Rosatom is pleased to be a strategic partner in Uzbekistan’s nuclear energy development. We are expanding our collaboration: while we are continuing the construction of an SMR-based nuclear power plant in Jizzakh Oblast we are making a significant step forward to implement a project to construct an NPP with VVER-1000. SMR-based and large NPPs together can create a “carbon-free energy cluster” in Uzbekistan, provide a solution to the country’s growing energy needs issue and lay the groundwork for industrial and innovative growth,” said Alexei Likhachev, Director General of Rosatom. Alexei Likhachev emphasized that Rosatom is actively involved in the construction of the SMR-based NPP and has already begun manufacturing reactor equipment for unit one.