Kazakhastan Referendum Will Decide N-Energy Ambition

Kazakhastan will hold a referendum on Oct 6 to decide its course on Nuclear Energy ambition. Kazakhastan President Kassym-Jomart Tokayev said on Sep 2 that the nation will hold a referendum on October 6 to determine whether to proceed with the construction of a nuclear power plant.

Kazakhstan’s ambition to embrace nuclear energy is primarily due to its need for energy security. Tokayev had raised the concern in 2019 too. The rise in demand of electricity could force the country into an energy crisis in the next decade, if not before. It is certain that electricity consumption in Kazakhastan will increase significantly to 152.4 billion kWh by 2035. However, it is in stark contrast to a combination of factors pushing down output of energy from existing energy sources. Among the reasons likely to push down the energy generation to below 135 billion kWh are decommissioning, aging infrastructure, and tougher environmental regulations. Hence the growing demand will make Kazakhstan introduce new power generation capacities totaling 26.5 GW by 2035. India may be of some help to Kazakhastan here offering its experience and expertise on the alternate sources of renewable energy