“The IAEA is ready to continue to support Uzbekistan in its plans to introduce nuclear energy in the country, in particular small modular reactors,” Grossi said.

At the end of May, it was announced in Tashkent about the construction of a low-power nuclear power plant (330 MW, six reactors of 55 MW each) according to a Russian project in the Jizzakh region. The first reactor is planned to be launched in five years, and subsequent ones every six months. Construction is planned near Lake Tuzkan, where the location of a large nuclear power plant (two power units of 1200 MW each) was previously considered.

IAEA experts visited Uzbekistan in the summer of 2021 and early 2023 to assess the selected site for the future construction of a nuclear power plant.