Uzbekistan non-committal on Rosatom offer to build nuclear ‘cluster’

Eager to counter a spreading perception of unreliability due to financial woes, Rosatom, Russia’s nuclear energy corporation, is trying to double down on its construction promises to build up Uzbekistan’s nuclear energy capacity.

Instead of just building reactors, Rosatom is now proposing to create a “nuclear cluster” in Uzbekistan. Rosatom boss Alexei Likhachev reportedly made the offer during a tête-à-tête with Uzbek President Shavkat Mirziyoyev on January 27 in Tashkent. The proposed cluster “would include not only nuclear energy, but also nuclear medicine, radiological expertise for the benefit of agriculture, healthcare, and materials science,” Likhachev said. 

Russia’s main nuclear R&D entity, the Kurchatov Institute, would reportedly be involved in building out the cluster, which would entail the construction of social infrastructure capable of housing 30,000 people. The estimated cost of expanding Rosatom’s original plan was not immediately disclosed. Rosatom agreed last September to build Uzbekistan two large-scale nuclear reactors and two smaller models, collectively capable of generating over 2.1 gigawatts.

A statement issued by Mirziyoyev’s office did not mention Likhachev’s cluster offer, and offered only a vague assessment of the discussions, hinting that little progress had been made on advancing nuclear energy cooperation. “Particular attention was also paid to developing cooperation in the application of nuclear technologies in agriculture and medicine, training qualified personnel in the industry, developing science, and implementing social projects,” the presidential statement noted.

An aura of scepticism appeared to cloud the Mirziyoyev-Likhachev meeting. Uzbek authorities have postponed the pouring of concrete for the foundation of the first, small-scale Rosatom reactor in the Jizzakh region, citing an absence of authorisations from state regulatory agencies. But Uzbek media reports also indicated that some financial details concerning the Rosatom deal remained to be finalised. Mirziyoyev’s January 27 statement also noted that “design work on the first reactor continues.” The initial target was for the first reactor to be operational in 2029.

Uzbekistan is not the only Central Asian state where Rosatom is facing simmering concern about the entity’s ability to keep nuclear energy projects on track. Kazakhstan, which has also contracted with Rosatom to build the country’s first nuclear power plant, was seen as hedging its bets in late 2025, signing a deal with the United States to conduct exploratory work for the deployment of small modular nuclear reactors (SMRs) in the country.

This article first appeared on Eurasianet here.