Tajikistan is studying Russia's proposal related to the construction of a small-capacity nuclear power plant in the country. The project is in the early stages of negotiations. This was announced by the head of Rosatom, Alexey Likhachev, TASS reported on March 17.
"Our friends are studying our proposal related to small capacity for compact mining projects. A capacity of 40-50 megawatts is exactly what interests them. I would say this is the initial stage of negotiations," he said in response to a question about the prospects of building a Russian nuclear power plant in Tajikistan.
Likhachev added that Russia and Tajikistan have been actively cooperating for several years in environmental projects, including the liquidation of the legacy of the USSR’s uranium projects and the reclamation of mines and enrichment facilities.
"It should be understood that it was in Tajikistan that the first Soviet uranium was developed, including the raw material for the first military product, for the first nuclear power plant. Therefore, we bear responsibility to future generations and are doing everything to eliminate any danger from this 'decades-old' legacy," concluded Likhachev.
In 2023, it was reported that Rosatom was ready to discuss the construction of a nuclear power plant, either large or small, in Tajikistan.
At that time, Nikolai Spassky, Deputy General Director and Director of the International Activities Block of the state corporation, made the statement during the closing events of the land reclamation project at the "Taboshar" industrial site, located in the Istiqlol city area in the Sughd province of Tajikistan.
"Of course, I won't hide it – yes, this is still thinking about the future, but if, based on the huge potential that has been created, and the human relationships we have developed with our Tajik colleagues, if the Tajik side expresses interest in creating nuclear energy and constructing a nuclear power plant, either large or small, of Russian design in Tajikistan, we will be happy," Spassky said.
He also noted that "the Russian side has the expertise and the technologies."
In October 2023, Rosatom completed the reclamation of the tailings pile from the poor uranium ore processing plant and four tailing storage facilities. Thanks to the chosen engineering solutions, the height of the uranium sand tailings pile was reduced from 65 to 35 meters and covered with a one-and-a-half-meter layer of clean soil.
The radiation background within the perimeter of the reclaimed objects dropped to natural levels, as confirmed by the monitoring data from the Agency for Chemical, Biological, Radiological, and Nuclear Safety of the National Academy of Sciences of Tajikistan.
The uranium waste dumps in Taboshar are located near uranium deposits, the products of which were used in the Soviet era for nuclear programs, including the creation of nuclear bombs and missiles. Tajikistan is managing the dangerous radioactive burial sites in Taboshar with the help of international organizations.
In Tajikistan, electricity is mainly generated by hydropower plants, with only a small portion coming from thermal power plants. Nuclear energy is not developed in the country. Only the National Academy of Sciences has a small laboratory nuclear reactor used for scientific and educational purposes.
