Kazakhstan declared that China will build its third nuclear power plant after awarding its second nuclear power plant to China’s CNNC in June on July 31, 2025. Thus far, it is Russia’s Rosatom that is building the first nuclear power plant. The recent announcement is indicative of Kazakhstan’s intention to diversify its nuclear development partners. As the world’s largest uranium producer, Kazakhstan is seeking to invest in its energy future, all the while dealing with complex global geopolitical dynamics.
China’s involvement, largely to do with its sophisticated ability and smooth funding, gives Kazakhstan a steady partner in the growing constraints on Russia given sanctions and the economic decline due to the war in Ukraine. Kazakhstan’s increasing reliance on Beijing may also be implicated for other external actors like the U.S., EU, South Korea, and France as a shift away from Kazakhstan multi-vector foreign policy. These external actors are also worried about the growing role of China in Central Asia’s energy infrastructure.
Kazakhstan’s reliance on China for the construction of two of its three planned nuclear plants may create enduring technological and strategic reliance with potentially uncertain autonomy implications. Similar concerns exist with Russia, to some extent, due to Rosatom’s indicated delays in other locations. Kazakhstan’s leadership contends that it is putting national priorities first and foremost but balancing the interests of major nations and retaining autonomy in this aspect remains difficult. Other nations observing Kazakhstan’s nuclear transition are reviewing their energy and geopolitical considerations of the region.
