Construction site of the nuclear power plant. Photo: podrobno.uz
Enter Engineering has been appointed as the subcontractor for the construction of Uzbekistan’s first nuclear power plant (NPP), according to Abduzhamil Kalmuratov, head of the Directorate for NPP Construction. He announced the appointment during a press tour of the construction site in the Farish district of Jizzakh region, Podrobno.uz reports.
The project’s general contractor is the Russian state corporation Rosatom, which is responsible for technological oversight, compliance with safety standards, and overall coordination. Construction and installation work at the site itself has been entrusted to Enter Engineering.
Kalmuratov noted that the subcontractor was selected through a competitive process, based on the company’s production capacity and technical resources.
“Enter Engineering is one of Uzbekistan’s largest construction companies, with its own vehicle fleet, qualified specialists, and design institutes. In other words, the company can carry out the full range of necessary work,” he emphasized.
Currently, the site designated for the NPP complex is being prepared with engineering infrastructure, logistical routes for materials and equipment delivery, and a dedicated assembly base for large-scale structural components.
A “nuclear workers’ town” will be built for plant employees on 100 hectares of land. The mono-city will accommodate up to 3,000 residents.
“It is planned as a green city, built without harmful technologies and powered by our own [nuclear plant’s] electricity,” Kalmuratov said. He added that the town will include advanced schools, hospitals, and engineering institutes.
According to Kalmuratov, about 20,000 people will be involved at various stages of construction, with 70 percent of specialists coming from Uzbekistan — a condition agreed upon with the Russian side. The preparatory work is being funded from the national budget, ensuring steady progress, though the total project cost has not been disclosed.
Earlier reports stated that Uzbekistan plans to build both a large-capacity NPP (2 GW) and a small modular nuclear plant (110 MW) on the same site in Jizzakh region.
The cooperation agreement between Uzbekistan and Russia on nuclear energy — including the construction of Uzbekistan’s first NPP — was signed in December 2017. The first power unit, valued at $11 billion, was initially expected to go online in 2028. At that time, the NPP was planned to consist of two 1,200 MW units.
A new contract with Rosatom — for the design, supply, and construction of a small modular nuclear power plant — was signed in Tashkent on May 27, 2024, during Russian President Vladimir Putin’s state visit. The first concrete pour for the SMR project is scheduled for the second quarter of 2026.
