Tashkent, Uzbekistan – Podrobno.uz. The economic benefits from building a nuclear power plant (NPP) in Uzbekistan are estimated at over $165 billion, which is 17 times higher than the project's cost.

According to Azim Akhmedkhodjaev, director of the Uzatom agency, these calculations were made jointly with international partners. The current cost of the NPP project is estimated at $9.5 billion.

A significant portion of the benefit is linked to natural gas, which after the launch of nuclear capacity can be used in more profitable sectors.

"This gas can be directed to modern gas-chemical complexes to produce value-added products, export them, and thereby generate additional foreign exchange earnings for the country," Akhmedkhodjaev explained.

Uzatom also notes that the project's benefits are not limited to energy. The construction of the NPP is expected to create demand for services, contracting work, transportation, materials, and engineering expertise. This could provide additional workload for local companies and serve as the foundation for a new high-tech industry.

Earlier, the estimated cost of electricity from the future NPP was announced. According to the head of Uzatom, it will be below 1,000 soums per kilowatt-hour.

Source: podrobno.uz