Tashkent, Uzbekistan (UzDaily.com) -- On the sidelines of Expo 2020 in Dubai, where on 20 January 2022 Russian nuclear SMR technology was presented, the Rosatom State Corporation and the Ministry of Energy and Industry of the Kyrgyz Republic signed the Memorandum of Cooperation on the construction of small modular reactor nuclear power plants.

Under the memorandum signed by Alexey Likhachev, Director General of the Rosatom State Corporation, and Doskul Bekmurzaev, Minister of Energy and Industry of the Kyrgyz Republic, the parties expressed their interest in developing cooperation to construct a small modular reactor nuclear power plant based on the RITM-200N reactor plant in the Republic of Kyrgyzstan. Additionally, the Memorandum of Cooperation envisages assistance in the development of nuclear infrastructure in the Kyrgyz Republic and joint work to improve the qualification of R&D and technical support personnel in various areas of the peaceful use of nuclear energy.

"Implementing SMR NPP projects is one of the top priorities of the Rosatom State Corporation; they will considerably change the energy mix of many countries around the globe and contribute to the development of remote areas with locked energy grids. The construction of a plant like this in Kyrgyzstan will not only improve the country’s energy independence, but also contribute to the public’s quality of life and the development of R&D and technology potential in Central Asia as a whole," stated Alexey Likhachev, Director General of the Rosatom State Corporation.

"Decarbonization and the development of environmentally clean sources of energy is a current global trend Kyrgyzstan would like to follow. We are confident that further cooperation with the Rosatom State Corporation will open up new horizons for the development of our country’s energy sector, economy and industry," said Tilek Aitaliev, Deputy Energy Ministry of the Kyrgyz Republic.

Rosatom is a global technological leader, with capacities in the nuclear sector and beyond, and business partners in 50 countries. As one of the pioneers of the nuclear industry, Rosatom has traditionally been at the forefront of the international nuclear market, including nuclear power plant construction, uranium mining and enrichment, and nuclear fuel fabrication and supply. Today, thanks to the unique expertise accumulated over 75 years, the company is conquering the markets of new promising high-tech products. Hydrogen energy, energy storage, nuclear medicine, wind energy, composite materials, logistics business, environmental solutions - in total, more than a hundred new businesses, which cement Rosatom’s standing among the leading tech giants.

Small modular reactor nuclear power plants, or SMR NPPs, are one of the most promising business areas of the Rosatom State Corporation. SMR NPPs have a number of apparent advantages directly related to the energy component: ensuring energy supply to remote, hard-to-reach areas and clean energy production. The availability of a stable source of power supply capable of operating on the 24/7 basis helps to develop local businesses and satisfy the needs of subsoil minerals developers, which may lead to synergy effects in the development of remote areas. Rosatom’s SMR projects are based on the latest RITM reactors developed by incorporating many years of operating experience of small reactors in the icebreaker fleet. The Rosatom State Corporation is currently building the first-of-a-kind on-land SMR NPP in the world in the Ust-Yansk District of the Republic of Sakha (Yakutia), which is home to one of the largest gold deposits in Russia, Kyuchus. The plant construction is due to be complete in 2028.