A proposal to build a nuclear power plant (NPP) in Kyrgyzstan will soon be put forward by the country’s energy ministry, deputy minister of energy Emilbek Ysmanov was on September 9 reported by Azattyk as telling a parliamentary committee.

As Central Asia’s second poorest country, with a population of only 7.3mn, Kyrgyzstan appears to be in the market for the possible building of a small NPP. Discussions in the regional media in recent months on the potential construction of a nuclear plant in the country have focused on evolving proposals for a facility that would use small modular reactor (SMR) technology.

Kazakhstan, Central Asia’s largest economy and home to just over 20mn people, is moving ahead with plans for three NPPs, one to be built by Russia and two to be built by China. Uzbekistan, the region’s second largest economy and most populous country with just over 38mn people, is proceeding with the construction of a plant that will use several SMRs and is studying the possibility of also building a large NPP. Russia’s state nuclear corporation Rosatom is working with Uzbekistan on its nuclear energy plans, while it is building one of the three planned Kazakh NPPs.

Ysmanov reportedly spoke about the upcoming NPP proposal while answering a question from MP Marat Murataliev at a meeting of the parliamentary committee on fuel, the energy complex and subsoil use.

Azattyk noted that energy minister Taalaibek Ibrayev announced in October 2024 that nuclear power public education efforts were taking place, with information relayed on an NPP that Rosatom has proposed to build in Kyrgyzstan. The company at the time said it was looking at the northern Chui region as a possible location for the plant. 

In May last year, Russian publication Prime reported that Rosatom had compiled a preliminary feasibility study for small NPPs it plans to build in Kyrgyzstan and Myanmar.

Kyrgyzstan each year suffers from substantial difficulties with power outages. As things stand, it is hugely dependent on hydropower and has highly ambitious plans to build up its hydro infrastructure.

The country last year decided to resume uranium mining after a five-year hiatus.