Russia and Uzbekistan have officially commenced construction on Uzbekistan’s first nuclear power plant, with the first concrete poured on 5 June 2026 at a ceremony attended remotely by Presidents Vladimir Putin and Shavkat Mirziyoyev from the St. Petersburg International Economic Forum. The facility is located on a 525-hectare site near Lake Tuzkan in the Forish district of the Jizzakh Region, in the country’s central-east close to the borders of Tajikistan and Kazakhstan. Developed by Russian state nuclear corporation Rosatom in partnership with Uzbekistan’s Atomic Energy Agency Uzatom, the plant will deploy a globally unprecedented hybrid configuration: two VVER-1000 Generation III+ reactors producing approximately 1 GW each, paired with two RITM-200N small modular reactors generating 55 MW each, for a combined installed capacity of 2.1 GW. This marks the first project anywhere in the world where large and small-capacity nuclear units will be built on a single shared site. Uzatom Director Azim Akhmedkhajayev has confirmed the total project cost at approximately $9.5 billion, with 85 to 90 percent expected to be financed through Russian state loans. The RITM-200N SMR units are scheduled to deliver Uzbekistan’s first nuclear electricity in late 2029, with the VVER-1000 reactors following in 2033 and 2035 respectively. Once fully operational, the plant will generate roughly 17.2 TWh annually, supplying approximately 15 percent of Uzbekistan’s total electricity demand.

A Region Turning to the Atom as Power Demand Outpaces Supply

The Jizzakh plant is more than a single infrastructure milestone. It is the centrepiece of a wider reconfiguration of Central Asia’s energy landscape, where rapidly growing economies are confronting aging thermal infrastructure and mounting pressure to reduce dependence on imported fossil fuels. Uzbekistan’s power sector has faced recurring shortfalls, and the government has pursued a parallel renewables push alongside the nuclear programme. Masdar’s Nur Bukhara 250 MW solar and battery storage project, inaugurated in December 2025, illustrated the country’s broader clean energy ambition, targeting 25 GW of renewable capacity by 2030. The nuclear plant complements rather than competes with that strategy, providing the dispatchable baseload generation that intermittent solar and storage systems cannot reliably provide at scale. Regionally, the Jizzakh NPP sits alongside a parallel Rosatom agreement signed just one month prior to build a two-unit VVER-1200 plant near Lake Balkhash in Kazakhstan, signalling that the Russian nuclear developer is positioning itself as the primary architect of a post-Soviet Central Asian energy transformation. The IAEA has confirmed that both Uzatom and Rosatom are meeting international safety and non-proliferation requirements, with Director General Rafael Grossi committing to ongoing project oversight throughout implementation. Uzbek subcontractor Enter Engineering has been engaged for civil works, and the construction phase is projected to employ approximately 15,000 workers. Assessments produced with international consulting firms indicate the plant could generate over $165 billion in long-term economic benefits for Uzbekistan through tax revenues and the development of supporting domestic industries.

Project Fact Sheet

• Project Name: Uzbekistan Nuclear Power Plant (Jizzakh NPP)
• Location: Forish District, Jizzakh Region, Uzbekistan (near Lake Tuzkan)
• Site Area: 525 hectares
• Project Value: Approximately $9.5 billion (85 to 90% loan-financed)
• Client / Owner: Uzatom (Atomic Energy Agency of Uzbekistan)
• Main Contractor: Rosatom / Atomstroyexport
• Reactor Configuration: Two VVER-1000 Gen III+ reactors (1 GW each) and two RITM-200N SMRs (55 MW each)
• Total Installed Capacity: 2.1 GW
• Annual Output: Approximately 17.2 TWh
• Construction Start: June 2026 (first concrete poured)
• Commissioning Schedule: RITM-200N SMRs in late 2029; VVER-1000 reactors in 2033 and 2035
• Jobs Created: Approximately 15,000 during construction
• Strategic Impact: Covers approximately 15% of Uzbekistan’s national electricity demand; first combined large and small-capacity NPP on a single site worldwide; first nuclear power plant in post-Soviet Central Asia

Project Team

• Client / Owner: Uzatom (Atomic Energy Agency under the Cabinet of Ministers of Uzbekistan)
• Developer / EPC Contractor: Rosatom State Atomic Energy Corporation
• Nuclear Construction Subsidiary: Atomstroyexport (Rosatom subsidiary)
• Civil Works Subcontractor: Enter Engineering (Uzbekistan)
• Financing Body: Russian Federation government loan framework; coordinated through Rosatom
• Regulatory Authority: Uzatom Regulatory Division; International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) (safety and non-proliferation oversight)
• Government Principals: Office of President Shavkat Mirziyoyev (Government of Uzbekistan); Office of President Vladimir Putin (Government of the Russian Federation)