The key facts

  • An integrated configuration has been chosen for the Jizzakh NPP: two generation '3+' VVER-1000 units plus low-capacity units with RITM-200N reactors, totaling more than 2 GW.
  • According to calculations cited by the Uzatom director, the large units will be able to cover more than 15% of the republic's electricity consumption.
  • Heat will be removed by air rather than by evaporating water, which, according to the agency head, will reduce the plant's water needs to a minimum.

The plant's configuration and its rationale

At the World Atomic Days international forum in Antalya, Turkey, the director of the Uzatom agency, Azim Akhmadzhanev, explained why an integrated configuration was chosen for the nuclear power plant under construction in Jizzakh: it combines two large generation '3+' power units with VVER-1000 reactors and low-capacity units with RITM-200N reactors, with a total capacity exceeding 2 GW. Kun.uz reported this.

The role of large and small units

According to Akhmadzhanev, the large units will provide large-scale baseload generation and, according to calculations, will be able to cover more than 15% of the republic's total electricity consumption. The low-capacity units, he noted, serve a technological balancing function: by compensating for drops in output from unstable solar and wind power plants, they give the power system the necessary flexibility. 'Our model corresponds to the philosophy of balance between humanity's progress and the preservation of the Earth's ecosystem,' Kun.uz quoted the director as saying.

Dry cooling instead of water evaporation

Separately, the head of Uzatom emphasized the importance of conserving water resources in the arid climate of Central Asia. 'We have no right to take water away from nature. That is why our project uses an advanced dry cooling system: heat is removed not by evaporating water but through air. This reduces the plant's need for water resources to an absolute minimum and preserves the fragile water balance of the region where it is located in the Jizzakh region,' he said.

Project context

It was previously reported that construction of two large power units of the nuclear power plant in Jizzakh may begin in 2027. The new statement by Uzatom's leadership clarifies the project's technical parameters — the composition of the units and the cooling system — but the start dates for the work were not revised in it.