The Kazakhstan Central Election Commission said that 71% of the country’s population supported this idea, while the turnout for the referendum was 64%.
The citizens of Kazakhstan supported in a referendum the idea of building the first nuclear power plant (NPP) in the country and in the whole of Central Asia. More than 71% of voters voted for the construction of a nuclear power plant. Turnout in the referendum was around 64%, the local Central Election Commission said on Monday, October 7.
Kazakh President Kasim-Jomart Tokayev called the plan to build a nuclear power plant “the biggest project in the history of independent Kazakhstan.” According to him, the nuclear power plant will be built by “a consortium of international companies with modern technology.” Companies from several countries – China, France, South Korea, and Russia – are vying for a contract to build nuclear power plants.
Kazakhstan will select the contractor for the construction of the nuclear power plant taking into account “economic feasibility, technological reliability and environmental safety,” the media reported.
Kazakhstan is the world’s largest producer of uranium, but suffers from a lack of electricity. According to statistics, Kazakhstan has now actually lost its energy independence, importing up to 30% of its electricity at peak times.
Supporters of the nuclear power plant assured that the construction of a nuclear power plant that will operate on domestic uranium, along with the development of renewable energy sources, will not only solve the problem of energy shortages, but also achieve carbon neutrality in advance . President Tokayev promised from the UN rostrum in 2021.
At the same time, many environmentalists, representatives of NGOs and public activists oppose the construction of nuclear power plants. They point out that a large sum of money will be needed to decommission the station in the future. They also fear that the idea of building a nuclear power plant is being promoted by the Kazakh authorities only for the interests of Russia.
Above all, the opponents of nuclear energy are concerned about plans to build a nuclear power plant on the shores of the unstable Lake Balkhash: in the event of an accident, a significant part of the country’s territory thick the population will experience radioactive contamination.
As we have already written, before this, in October, Kazakhstan announced a national referendum on the construction of a nuclear power plant.
Let’s remember that Armenia is discussing with the United States the construction of a new nuclear power plant, which should replace the only Armenian nuclear power plant in Metsamor, which was built in the late 1970s.
Source: korrespondent
I am David Wyatt, a professional writer and journalist for Buna Times. I specialize in the world section of news coverage, where I bring to light stories and issues that affect us globally. As a graduate of Journalism, I have always had the passion to spread knowledge through writing.