Tashkent, Uzbekistan (UzDaily.com) — Uzbekistan is exploring the possibility of building two Russian-designed nuclear power plants, one of large capacity and one of smaller capacity, Deputy Foreign Minister of Russia Sergey Ryabkov said at a reception at the Embassy of Uzbekistan in Moscow marking the country’s Independence Day.

“The issue of constructing two Russian-designed nuclear power plants in Uzbekistan, one large and one small, is currently under consideration. This would be the first project of its kind in Central Asia,” Ryabkov told TASS.

He noted that successful implementation of the initiative would allow Uzbekistan to “achieve a new technological breakthrough” and represent an important step in the development of bilateral cooperation in the energy sector.

Uzbekistan and Russia signed an intergovernmental agreement on the construction of a nuclear power plant back in 2018. The agreement covered the full cycle — from design and construction to operation and eventual decommissioning — for a plant with two power units equipped with Russian VVER reactors, each with a capacity of up to 1.2 GW.

In May 2024, the parties revised the initial arrangements and decided to begin with a small-scale nuclear project. Amendments to the agreement preserved the plan for the large plant while simultaneously introducing a small nuclear power plant project, originally planned for six reactors, later reduced to two.

The general contractor was designated as JSC Atomstroyexport (Rosatom’s engineering division), with local companies also participating in the work.

The topic of the large plant was raised again on 24–25 March 2025, during talks between Rosatom and Uzatom, which included it on the agenda for joint discussions.

In June 2025, the parties signed an agreement defining the terms for implementing the large nuclear power plant project in Uzbekistan.

According to the agreements reached, construction is planned for two VVER-1000 units, each with a capacity of 1 GW, with the possibility of expanding to four units in the future.

A joint working group has been established to prepare the project, tasked with conducting a detailed analysis of key parameters, calculating construction costs, and formulating a final decision.

Earlier, President Shavkat Mirziyoyev instructed that the first concrete pour be carried out for the nuclear power plant in the Jizzakh region in March 2026.