Russia, Kazakhstan To Sign Memorandum On Nuclear Plant Construction

Moscow and Astana are expected to sign a memorandum on the construction of the first nuclear power plant in Kazakhstan.

Russia's presidential aide Yury Ushakov told reporters in Moscow on May 28 that the memorandum will be signed during a meeting between Russian President Vladimir Putin and his Kazakh counterpart, Nursultan Nazarbaev, in Astana on May 29.

The new nuclear plant is planned to be built with the use of Russian technology in Kazakhstan's northeastern town of Kurchatov, which used to be the center of the Soviet-era Semipalatinsk nuclear test complex.

No timetable on the construction was given.

Kazakhstan produces more than 25 percent of the world's uranium.

The two presidents will meet separately after the signing of an agreement between Russia, Belarus, and Kazakhstan on the creation of a Eurasian Economic Union.

Based on reporting by RIA Novosti and Interfax