The cycle of public hearings and discussions on the construction of nuclear power plants in Kazakhstan has concluded in Astana, the press service of the Ministry of Energy of the Republic of Kazakhstan reported on August 20.
“The discussions involved experts from the nuclear industry, representatives of government agencies, the public and the civil sector”– the press service reports.
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It should be noted that in Astana, the public hearings on the construction of a nuclear power plant were much “more calm” than, for example, in Almaty. Thus, at one hearing in Astana, the participants argued furiously about the cost of electricity and liability in the event of an accident, and brawls broke out.
According to reports, Deputy Director of the Department of Energy and Nuclear Industry of the Ministry of Energy of Kazakhstan Gulmira Mursalova said that about 70% of electricity in the republic is produced at coal-fired power plants. At the same time, she clarified that their wear and tear is 70%.
Mursalova reported an average increase in electricity consumption of 3% per year. At the same time, explaining the need to build a nuclear power plant, she pointed to the planned annual purchase of electricity at peak times from bordering countries.
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The director of Kazakhstan Nuclear Power Plants, Timur Zhantikin, is also reported to have noted a shortage of electricity in southern Kazakhstan. He reported on 13 different nuclear power plant projects, of which only four were selected.
Representatives of the Ministry of Energy reported that it was proposed to build generation III and III+ nuclear power plants, whose reactors have passive and active safety systems.
It should be recalled that a nuclear power plant is planned to be built in the village of Ulken on the shore of Lake Balkhash in the Alma-Ata region of Kazakhstan. That is why the first public hearings were held there.
We also note that a referendum on the construction of a nuclear power plant in Kazakhstan is planned to be held in the autumn. The government of the republic has not yet set a date for the referendum.
Source: Rossa Primavera
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