Energo: Russia pressing Central Asian states to embrace nuclear power

Hoping to drum up some much-needed cash to help fuel the Kremlin’s war effort in Ukraine, Rosatom, Russia’s state-controlled nuclear entity, is hyping atomic energy as a “green” solution to Central Asia’s power problems. But Rosatom’s efforts to assuage Central Asian citizens on the safety and greenness of Russian nuclear solutions are undermined by reports of haphazard operational practices.

The rickety electricity grid across Central Asia is struggling to meet rising demand, with even Kazakhstan, the region’s most economically advanced state, grappling with power outages. Kazakhstan, Uzbekistan and Kyrgyzstan are all considering nuclear energy as a potential solution to electricity-supply challenges. The main concern about building nuclear plants in Central Asia involves safety in a seismic zone: the region is prone to powerful earthquakes. 

Rosatom is hard at work trying to reassure Central Asian leaders and citizens alike that it has the answers to meet the region’s nuclear needs.