Date first published: 16/10/2024
Key sectors: all
Key risks: energy insecurity; environmental damage; geopolitical interests
Risk development
On 6 October the Central Election Commission announced that citizens overwhelmingly approved the construction of the country’s first nuclear power plant since 1995, with 71 per cent voting in favour. The plant would be built in the village of Ulken on the shores of the southeastern Lake Balkhash and is expected to be completed by 2035. The referendum came ahead of winter when the country is likely to suffer renewed widespread electricity blackouts. Astana’s rapidly ageing and inefficient energy infrastructure poses a critical threat to its economic – and by consequence political – stability. However, it remains uncertain if the nuclear power project would improve energy security.
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