Kazakhs are all set to vote on Sunday, October 6, 2024, in a referendum on whether to build the first nuclear plant in the country or not.
According to Reuters, the idea of building the first-ever nuclear plant in the country was promoted by President Kassym-Jomart Tokayev's government as the country sought to eliminate polluting coal plants.
The government plan was widely criticised by the people because of the safety concerns and the potential involvement of Russia in the project, as the country has a dark history with Soviet nuclear testing.
Whereas the president believes that, “In order not to remain on the sidelines of global progress, we must use our competitive advantages.”
Moreover, popular blogger Vadim Boreiko wrote, “I have come to the conclusion that the decision to build the nuclear power plant and to build it with (Russian state nuclear firm) Rosatom has already been made in (Tokayev's office) and the people of Kazakhstan are being invited to polling stations as 'notaries' to authenticate this decision with their votes.”
The central Asian nation of 20 million people has plenty of natural gas reserves but mostly uses coal, the most polluting energy source, to generate electricity.
It is worth knowing that the country is already importing electric power, mainly from Russia, as its own facilities struggle to meet domestic demand.
Kazakhstan’s government has estimated the cost of a nuclear power plant between $10 billion and $12 billion, while critics suggest that the government can use gas-powered plants to achieve the same goal with less pollution and lower risk.
