Crossroads Asia | Economy | Central Asia

Uzbekistan Takes Next Step on Nuclear Power Plant Journey

Concrete is being poured at a site in Jizzakh region which will host Uzbekistan’s first nuclear power plant.

Uzatom Director Azim Ahmedkhodjayev (right) and Rosatom Director Alexey Likhachev (left) on March 24, 2026.

Construction is underway on Uzbekistan’s first nuclear power plant at a site in Jizzakh region’s Forish district. On March 24, the heads of Uzatom and Rosatom – partnering in the project – signed additional documents and celebrated the start of concrete pouring. 

In a comment to journalists, Uzatom Director Azim Ahmedkhodjayev said, “Today is a significant day for the future of Uzbekistan – we’ve taken a decisive step in implementing the national program to develop modern nuclear energy.”

In May 2024, during a state visit to Uzbekistan, Russian President Vladimir Putin and Uzbek President Shavkat Mirziyoyev shook hands on a deal the latter called “vital”: the construction of a nuclear power plant in Uzbekistan. 

Earlier discussions – following a December 2017 nuclear cooperation agreement – had focused on the possible construction of  two VVER-1200 pressurized water reactors, with a 2.5 GW capacity. The plan had been beset by funding questions, even as Russia pushed to speed up the project. 

By 2024, the project had been scaled down to a nuclear power plant consisting of six small modular reactors (SMRs) with a capacity of 55 MW each – or 330 MW total. 

In May 2024,  Rosatom Director General Alexey Likhachev boasted that construction would start that summer.

Excavation work launched in December 2025. At the time, Uzbek media reported a slightly different configuration: two SMRs, specifically RITM-200N reactors, with a capacity of 55 megawatts each will be built first, followed at some later point by the construction of two VVER-1000 reactors, each generating 1 GW.

In conjunction with the start of concrete pouring this week, Ahmadkhodjayev and Likhachev signed a cooperative “roadmap” covering the stages of the NPP construction, the training of personnel, and the creation of infrastructure for the future “nuclear city,” envisioned to support the plant. An agreement on the updated configuration was also inked.

Once fully operational, Uzbek authorities claim that the plant will meet over 15 percent of Uzbekistan’s electricity needs – around 16-17 billion kWh per year.

Uzbekistan’s electricity consumption has soared over the last decade in tandem with its booming population and modernization of industry. Earlier this month, Uzbekistan’s Ministry of Energy reported the marking of a new record in daily electricity consumption: 267 million kWh. On the same day, power plants across the country generated a total of 272 million kWh.

The bulk of Uzbekistan’s electricity – 76 percent, according to 2023 data – is generated from natural gas, followed by coal (11.1 percent), hydropower (9.3 percent), and oil (2.8 percent). Solar generation has expanded from nothing in 2020 to 622 GWh by 2023 but remains a marginal source, as does wind. 

The Uzbek government is looking to nuclear power as a viable pathway out of the bind in which it finds itself: a booming population and the rising demands of rapidly expanding industry are going to soon exceed the country’s existing energy production capabilities. The country’s export obligations – gas to China and electricity to Afghanistan – further complicate the picture. Gas shortages and electricity outages in recent years have underscored the thin line Tashkent is walking. 

The nuclear power plant at Jizzah cannot be finished soon enough. The first unit at in Forish district is planned to go critical in late 2029, if construction stays on schedule.

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Construction is underway on Uzbekistan’s first nuclear power plant at a site in Jizzakh region’s Forish district. On March 24, the heads of Uzatom and Rosatom – partnering in the project – signed additional documents and celebrated the start of concrete pouring. 

In a comment to journalists, Uzatom Director Azim Ahmedkhodjayev said, “Today is a significant day for the future of Uzbekistan – we’ve taken a decisive step in implementing the national program to develop modern nuclear energy.”

In May 2024, during a state visit to Uzbekistan, Russian President Vladimir Putin and Uzbek President Shavkat Mirziyoyev shook hands on a deal the latter called “vital”: the construction of a nuclear power plant in Uzbekistan. 

Earlier discussions – following a December 2017 nuclear cooperation agreement – had focused on the possible construction of  two VVER-1200 pressurized water reactors, with a 2.5 GW capacity. The plan had been beset by funding questions, even as Russia pushed to speed up the project. 

By 2024, the project had been scaled down to a nuclear power plant consisting of six small modular reactors (SMRs) with a capacity of 55 MW each – or 330 MW total. 

In May 2024,  Rosatom Director General Alexey Likhachev boasted that construction would start that summer.

Excavation work launched in December 2025. At the time, Uzbek media reported a slightly different configuration: two SMRs, specifically RITM-200N reactors, with a capacity of 55 megawatts each will be built first, followed at some later point by the construction of two VVER-1000 reactors, each generating 1 GW.

In conjunction with the start of concrete pouring this week, Ahmadkhodjayev and Likhachev signed a cooperative “roadmap” covering the stages of the NPP construction, the training of personnel, and the creation of infrastructure for the future “nuclear city,” envisioned to support the plant. An agreement on the updated configuration was also inked.

Once fully operational, Uzbek authorities claim that the plant will meet over 15 percent of Uzbekistan’s electricity needs – around 16-17 billion kWh per year.

Uzbekistan’s electricity consumption has soared over the last decade in tandem with its booming population and modernization of industry. Earlier this month, Uzbekistan’s Ministry of Energy reported the marking of a new record in daily electricity consumption: 267 million kWh. On the same day, power plants across the country generated a total of 272 million kWh.

The bulk of Uzbekistan’s electricity – 76 percent, according to 2023 data – is generated from natural gas, followed by coal (11.1 percent), hydropower (9.3 percent), and oil (2.8 percent). Solar generation has expanded from nothing in 2020 to 622 GWh by 2023 but remains a marginal source, as does wind. 

The Uzbek government is looking to nuclear power as a viable pathway out of the bind in which it finds itself: a booming population and the rising demands of rapidly expanding industry are going to soon exceed the country’s existing energy production capabilities. The country’s export obligations – gas to China and electricity to Afghanistan – further complicate the picture. Gas shortages and electricity outages in recent years have underscored the thin line Tashkent is walking. 

The nuclear power plant at Jizzah cannot be finished soon enough. The first unit at in Forish district is planned to go critical in late 2029, if construction stays on schedule.

Catherine Putz is managing editor of The Diplomat.

Uzbekistan nuclear power projects

Uzbekistan-Russia relations

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