Rosatom Considers Building NPP with Dry Cooling Tower in Uzbekistan
Rosatom Discusses Using Dry Cooling Tower for Nuclear Power Plant in Uzbekistan
Russian state-owned company, Rosatom, is in discussions with the government of Uzbekistan about the use of a “dry cooling tower” for a future nuclear power plant. This technology is expected to help mitigate potential water shortages in the region, as reported by Interfax.
Polina Lion, director of the department of sustainable development at Rosatom, spoke about this at the UN Climate Change Conference COP28 in Dubai. She highlighted the importance of the decision in light of the challenging situation with water resources in Uzbekistan. Lion referred to forecasts indicating that Uzbekistan could face a severe water scarcity situation by 2050. The dry cooling tower technology would prevent water evaporation during the process of cooling the reactors.
According to Lion, the decision to consider this technology is a forward-thinking approach to address the issue of minimum water consumption for nuclear energy. In 2018, Uzbekistan and Russia initiated negotiations for a nuclear power plant project, and under the agreement, Rosatom will construct two VVER-1200 units with a capacity of 1.2 GW each on the shore of Lake Tuzkan in the Jizzakh region.
The construction of the nuclear power plant is expected to take about six years, and it is aimed at helping Uzbekistan address its electricity shortage and reduce reliance on gas. Being one of the top 5 uranium producers, Uzbekistan does not anticipate fuel supply issues for the project.
Former Energy Minister Alisher Sultonov emphasized the environmental friendliness and safety of VVER-1200 reactors in a 2020 interview, underscoring the potential benefits of nuclear power plants for Uzbekistan. The discussions about Rosatom’s involvement in the construction of new nuclear energy facilities have also taken place at the ministerial level, with proposals for low-power reactors being submitted to the Uzbek side.
As the discussions continue, the imminent signing of a contract between Rosatom and Uzbekistan is expected, signaling progress towards the implementation of the nuclear power plant project.
