Overview
- The two governments signed an intergovernmental agreement and nine related documents on Thursday, May 28, 2026, during President Vladimir Putin’s state visit to Astana.
- Rosatom will lead construction of the Balkhash plant near the village of Ulken on Lake Balkhash and the plan calls for two VVER-1200 reactors with a total project cost estimated at about $16.5 billion.
- Kazakh officials say Russia will provide roughly 85% of the financing through a state export loan and the partners have set a preliminary construction start in 2027 with the first reactor targeted for the mid-2030s.
- The nuclear pact was packaged with wider accords—including oil-sector cooperation, a ruble–tenge currency-swap, and an interagency plan for nuclear and radiation safety for 2026–2030—which tie infrastructure, finance, and regulatory work together.
- The move follows a 2024 referendum that approved new plants and reflects Kazakhstan’s aim to cut coal use, but it raises public sensitivity because of Soviet-era nuclear testing at Semipalatinsk and will require visible safety, oversight, and local consultation as the project proceeds.