The key facts

  • Mirziyoyev announced plans for a second and third nuclear power plant on October 16; negotiations with investors are scheduled for October 17
  • The first nuclear power plant in the Farish district is being built with Rosatom: 2110 MW, estimated cost — $9.5 billion, launch of the small reactor — 2029
  • China's participation in the second plant has not been officially confirmed — this was reported by Serbian President Vucic, citing Mirziyoyev

The President's statement

President of Uzbekistan Shavkat Mirziyoyev, on October 16 at an open meeting with investors in the fuel and energy sector, announced plans to build a second and third nuclear power plants. According to him, 'tomorrow' — October 17 — negotiations with new partners and investors on the construction of the second nuclear power plant will take place. The President emphasized that the country pays great attention to nuclear energy given the growth of uranium mining: large investments have been made in the industry and experience has been accumulated. He recalled that the construction of the first nuclear power plant has already begun, and the plans cover both the second and third plants. At the same time, Mirziyoyev did not specify the locations of the new plants, their capacity, timelines and cost, nor did he name which investors the negotiations on October 17 would be held with.

The first nuclear power plant with Rosatom

Uzbekistan's first nuclear power plant is being built in the Farish district of the Jizzakh region jointly with the Russian state corporation Rosatom. In March 2026, the parties signed an additional agreement on the integrated configuration of the plant, combining high- and low-capacity power units: two units with VVER-1000 reactors of 1000 MW each and two small units with RITM-200N reactors of 55 MW each. The total installed capacity will be 2110 MW, with an expected annual output of about 17.2 billion kWh. On June 4, the presidents of Uzbekistan and Russia gave the start to the construction of the first power unit; it is expected that Russia will provide a preferential export loan. According to data presented to the president on September 2, the cost of the integrated project is estimated at $9.5 billion. The commissioning of the first small reactor is scheduled for 2029 (the Uzbek-language version of Gazeta specifies: October–November 2029, the second small reactor — six months later), the first large power unit — for 2033, and full completion — for 2034–2035.

What is known about the second nuclear power plant

Mirziyoyev first publicly announced the preparation of the second nuclear power plant on August 17 during a visit to the Khorezm region, promising to reveal details later. On September 8, at the Uzbek-Serbian business forum in Belgrade, Serbian President Aleksandar Vucic said that in a personal conversation Mirziyoyev told him about plans to build one nuclear power plant with Russia, and a second one with China, and to continue building plants without waiting for the completion of the first projects. However, the Uzbek authorities have not officially announced the choice of a Chinese company, and the location, capacity, cost and timelines of the second plant have not been disclosed. Earlier, the head of the Atomic Energy Agency 'Uzatom' Azim Akhmedkhadjaev noted that the site in the Farish district potentially allows for the placement of two more large power units, but it is unknown whether this territory is being considered for new projects.