The cost of two small nuclear reactors in Uzbekistan is estimated at $1 billion.

In Uzbek language   In Uzbek language. April 21, 2026, 14:31

   
The first phase of the nuclear power plant project in the Jizzakh region — the construction of two small reactors of 55 MW each — is estimated at 1 billion dollars. The Uzbekistan Chamber of Commerce and Industry expects that the project will create a high demand for products from local enterprises and services from related industries.
The cost of constructing the first two small reactors at the integrated nuclear power plant (NPP) in Uzbekistan is estimated at 1 billion dollars. This was stated by the Deputy Chairman of the Uzbekistan Chamber of Commerce and Industry, Sukhrab Abdurakhmanov, at the exhibition "Innoprom. Central Asia," which is taking place in Tashkent on April 20-22.
The organizers of the three-day exhibition are the Ministry of Investments, Industry and Trade of Uzbekistan and the Ministry of Industry and Trade of Russia.
"Even at the first stage of the project, where the cost is estimated at about 1 billion dollars, a colossal volume of high-quality products is required," said Sukhrab Abdurakhmanov during the panel session of the exhibition.
According to him, the first phase involves the construction of two small reactors of 55 MW each.
"This requires our enterprises, from electrical engineering manufacturers to construction material suppliers, to transition to a qualitatively new level of standardization. We see this as a powerful stimulus for production modernization," noted the Deputy Chairman of the CCI.
He estimates that the construction of the NPP in the Jizzakh region will lead to the development of a huge cluster of related businesses: service, transport, logistics services, and social facilities. "This means thousands of new jobs and new growth points for small and medium-sized businesses in Uzbekistan," added the Deputy Chairman of the CCI.
The cost of the small NPP and financing
In March 2025, the head of "Uzatom," Azim Akhmedkhodjaev, reported that the cost of the small NPP in Uzbekistan would be less than 2 billion dollars. At that time, it was planned to construct a station with six reactors, with a total capacity of 330 MW (55 MW each).
Then he stated that the project is planned to be financed through external investments and Chinese concessional loans, without attracting Russian funds. The state budget wants to be utilized minimally.
At the end of September last year, Uzbekistan and Russia signed documents changing the configuration of the future nuclear power plant in the Farish district of the Jizzakh region. Instead of six small power units, two are planned, as well as two larger reactors with a capacity of 1 GW each.
Due to the simultaneous placement of small and large NPPs, a "maximally economical option in terms of MW·h" is expected.
In October, Abdumannap Kal mu ratov, the director of the NPP Construction Directorate, reported that the cost of the small NPP project would not exceed 1 billion dollars, and the final amount would be fixed in the contract. He also emphasized that the construction would be financed from the state budget.
"Yes, this is the state budget. The state is constructing — this is a completely Uzbek project. The source of financing is our budget. The nuclear project must be national," he declared.
In March 2026, when "Uzatom" and "Rosatom" signed a "roadmap" for cooperation and an agreement to the contract for the construction of the NPP, Alexey Likhachev stated that the construction of the NPP in Uzbekistan would bring Russian industry orders worth up to 2 trillion rubles (24.7 billion dollars) and create about 1000 jobs.
The press service of "Rosatom" later clarified that "this concerns the cumulative effect of cooperation over the entire life cycle of the NPP, which exceeds 80 years and includes the periods of design, construction, operation, and decommissioning."
It should be noted that the basis of the small NPP is the water-water nuclear reactor RITM-200N, which was used in nuclear icebreakers, but a land-based NPP with these reactors has not yet been built and is not a reference (tested) model. In addition, Uzbekistan will become the first country in the world where a small and a large NPP will be located on the same site simultaneously.
No tender for the nuclear power plant project has been conducted.

Source.  https://www.gazeta.uz/ru/2026/04/21/cost/