Ansaldo to cooperate with Uzbek atomic agency

The MoU was signed in the Uzbek city of Samarkand on 29 May by Ansaldo Energia Senior Vice President of Public Affairs and Institutional Relations Andrea Benveduti and Uzatom Director Azim Akhmedkhadjaev. It was signed in the presence of Italian Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni, President of Uzbekistan Shavkat Mirziyoyev, and Piergabriele Papadia de Bottini, Ambassador of Italy to Uzbekistan.

Under the MoU, Ansaldo Energia and Uzatom will pursue strategic cooperation in areas such as the design and construction of next-generation nuclear power plants, nuclear waste management solutions, and professional training programmes. Particular attention will be dedicated to small modular reactors (SMRs).

Ansaldo Energia, through its subsidiary Ansaldo Nucleare, brings extensive experience in nuclear technology, including Generation III and Generation IV reactors, as well as fusion reactor technologies. The partnership includes joint professional development initiatives to strengthen technical expertise in nuclear energy.

During a visit Uzbekistan in May 2024 by Russian President Vladimir Putin, a contract was signed for the construction of a 330 MW capacity nuclear power plant in the Jizzakh region. The project is based on six units of the RITM-200N water-cooled reactor, which is adapted from nuclear-powered icebreaker technology, with thermal power of 190 MW or electrical power of 55 MW and with an intended service life of 60 years. The first unit is scheduled to go critical in late 2029, with the units to be commissioned one by one.

This marked the first export order for Russia's SMR. The first land-based version is currently being built in Yakut in Russia, with the launch of the first unit scheduled to take place in 2027. Rosatom says that its combination of active and passive safety systems mean the SMR plants will achieve the highest possible safety standards.

In 2017, Uzbekistan signed an agreement with Russia to construct two VVER-1200 pressurised water reactors and separate proposals remain for building a large nuclear power plant with a capacity of around 2.5 GW.