Latest news with #CNNC
Observer
14 hours ago
- Business
- Observer
Putin hosts Indonesia's Prabowo in Russia in bid to deepen ties
ST PETERSBURG: Indonesian President Prabowo Subianto held talks with President Vladimir Putin in the northern Russian city of St Petersburg on Thursday as they explore ways to deepen what some officials have called a burgeoning strategic partnership. The deepening of ties between Russia and Indonesia, part of Moscow's bid to forge new relations with the Global South amid Western attempts to isolate it over the Ukraine war, has perturbed some powers such as Australia. Meeting in the Constantine Palace, Putin noted Indonesia's entry into BRICS as a full member and said he was sure it would make a significant contribution to the grouping, which he said was gaining clout in the world. Prabowo thanked Putin for his support over Indonesia's entry to BRICS and said that ties between the two countries were improving. Russia and Indonesia's foreign ministers, Sergei Lavrov and Sugiono, speaking in Moscow earlier this week, mentioned a possible strategic partnership between the two countries. Russia has proposed deepening military, security, trade and nuclear ties with Indonesia, which has the world's fourth largest population. Prabowo previously visited Russia in August 2024, when he was defence minister and president-elect, and described Moscow as a "great friend", saying he hoped for stronger cooperation on defence, energy and education. Indonesia has said that it wants to build its first nuclear power plant by 2032, with 500 MW capacity, aiming for it to come online in the next decade. Authorities said interested developers included Russia's Rosatom, China CNNC and US small modular reactor producer NuScale. Indonesia, Southeast Asia's biggest economy, currently relies mostly on coal as a source of power despite boasting massive potential for renewable energy sources such as hydro, solar and geothermal. With expectations of high energy demand in the future, Indonesia is seeking to boost power generation capacity while capping its carbon emissions, eyeing nuclear power as the solution. Prabowo has maintained Indonesia's non-aligned foreign policy, vowing to befriend any country, including Russia and the United States. He has said Indonesia will not be joining any military bloc. China is Indonesia's largest trading partner, but recently Prabowo's government announced a raft of concessions for trade with the US as it looks to neutralise the effect of tariffs. Russia has praised what it says is Indonesia's balanced position on the Ukraine war. Russia and Indonesia conducted their first joint naval exercises in the Java Sea last November. — Reuters
Straits Times
20 hours ago
- Business
- Straits Times
Putin hosts Indonesia's Prabowo in Russia in bid to deepen ties
ST PETERSBURG, Russia - Indonesian President Prabowo Subianto held talks with President Vladimir Putin in the northern Russian city of St Petersburg on Thursday as they explore ways to deepen what some officials have called a burgeoning strategic partnership. The deepening of ties between Russia and Indonesia, part of Moscow's bid to forge new relations with the Global South amid Western attempts to isolate it over the Ukraine war, has perturbed some powers such as Australia. Meeting in the Constantine Palace, Putin noted Indonesia's entry into BRICS as a full member and said he was sure it would make a significant contribution to the grouping, which he said was gaining clout in the world. Prabowo thanked Putin for his support over Indonesia's entry to BRICS and said that ties between the two countries were improving. Russia and Indonesia's foreign ministers, Sergei Lavrov and Sugiono, speaking in Moscow earlier this week, mentioned a possible strategic partnership between the two countries. Russia has proposed deepening military, security, trade and nuclear ties with Indonesia, which has the world's fourth largest population. Prabowo previously visited Russia in August 2024, when he was defence minister and president-elect, and described Moscow as a "great friend", saying he hoped for stronger cooperation on defence, energy and education. Indonesia has said that it wants to build its first nuclear power plant by 2032, with 500 MW capacity, aiming for it to come online in the next decade. Authorities said interested developers included Russia's Rosatom, China CNNC, and U.S. small modular reactor producer NuScale. Indonesia, Southeast Asia's biggest economy, currently relies mostly on coal as a source of power despite boasting massive potential for renewable energy sources such as hydro, solar and geothermal. With expectations of high energy demand in the future, Indonesia is seeking to boost power generation capacity while capping its carbon emissions, eyeing nuclear power as the solution. Prabowo has maintained Indonesia's non-aligned foreign policy, vowing to befriend any country, including Russia and the United States. He has said Indonesia will not be joining any military bloc. China is Indonesia's largest trading partner, but recently Prabowo's government announced a raft of concessions for trade with the U.S. as it looks to neutralise the effect of tariffs. Russia has praised what it says is Indonesia's balanced position on the Ukraine war. Russia and Indonesia conducted their first joint naval exercises in the Java Sea last November. REUTERS Join ST's Telegram channel and get the latest breaking news delivered to you.
Euronews
4 days ago
- Business
- Euronews
Rosatom and CNNC to spearhead Kazakhstan's nuclear return
Kazakhstan has chosen Russia's state nuclear firm Rosatom and China's National Nuclear Corporation (CNNC) to lead separate consortiums to build its first nuclear power plants. This marks the country's return to nuclear energy, as Kazakhstan has had no nuclear power facilities of its own since 1999 when its Soviet-era reactor was shut down. In a national referendum last October, nearly 70% of Kazakh voters approved constructing nuclear power facilities, a move strongly backed by President Kassym-Jomart Tokayev. Kazakhstan, one of the world's top uranium producers, currently relies mostly on coal-fired plants for power, alongside hydropower and a growing renewables sector. The nuclear project is seen as key to reducing heavy coal dependence and meeting future energy demand in an environmentally sustainable way. The nuclear project is seen as key to reducing heavy coal dependence and meeting future energy demand in an environmentally sustainable way. It will feature two Russian VVER-1200 Generation 3+ reactors. Rosatom's CEO Alexei Likhachev welcomed the decision, saying the plant will use "the most advanced and efficient design in the world." This flagship project of Kazakhstan's first commercial nuclear power station is expected to significantly improve domestic power supply and create thousands of jobs during construction and operation. It also restores nuclear generation in Kazakhstan after a 26-year pause since the BN-350 reactor's closure. Kazakhstan is adopting an "international consortium" approach, inviting multiple foreign partners to participate in its nuclear program in order to balance strategic relationships. While Rosatom will lead the first plant's consortium, officials say China's CNNC is slated to head a second nuclear plant project under a separate agreement. "China definitely has all the necessary technologies and a full industrial base, so our next priority is cooperation with China," said Almasadam Satqaliev, chairman of Kazakhstan's atomic agency. The second plant's details including its site, reactor design and timeline have yet to be clarified, but the inclusion of CNNC underscores Kazakhstan's effort to engage both of its powerful neighbours in its energy ambitions. Kazakhstan's push for nuclear energy comes amid rising electricity demand and frequent power shortages in parts of the country. The government argues that atomic power will strengthen energy security and help cut carbon emissions, leveraging Kazakhstan's abundant uranium resources for domestic benefit. "To not remain on the sidelines of global progress, we must use our competitive advantages," President Tokayev said ahead of the nuclear referendum, pointing to the country's uranium as a logical asset for power generation. At the same time, the nuclear projects highlight Kazakhstan's careful geopolitical balancing act. The decision to involve both Moscow and Beijing aligns with Astana's broader strategy of maintaining strong ties with its former Soviet patron and its giant eastern neighbour. By sharing its nuclear program between Rosatom and CNNC, Kazakhstan can reassure both Moscow and Beijing of partnership, while also diversifying its technological and financial support.
Asharq Al-Awsat
5 days ago
- Business
- Asharq Al-Awsat
Russia's Rosatom to Lead Consortium to Build First Nuclear Power Plant in Kazakhstan
Russia's state nuclear corporation Rosatom and state-owned China National Nuclear Corporation have been tapped to lead separate consortiums to build the first nuclear power plants in Kazakhstan, the country's atomic energy agency said on Saturday. Other proposals came from the state-owned China National Nuclear Corporation, as well as French and South Korean companies. It was not immediately clear which other companies would participate in the Rosatom-led consortium, nor the cost and timeline of Rosatom's proposal. The two-reactor plant will be built in the village of Ulken, about 400 km northwest of Almaty, the commercial capital. In October, Kazakhstan voted in a referendum, backed by its president, in favor of constructing nuclear power plants. The country says it plans to have 2.4 gigawatts of nuclear capacity by 2035. The oil- and gas-rich nation of 20 million has not had any nuclear power generation capacity since 1999, when the BN-350 reactor on the shores of the Caspian Sea was decommissioned. The Kazakh atomic energy agency, established this March, said it had reviewed various proposals for reactor technologies and assessed them based on nuclear power plant safety, personnel training and other criteria. The agency 'determined that the most optimal and advantageous proposals for the construction of a nuclear power plant in Kazakhstan were those received from the Russian company Rosatom,' it said. 'Currently, in accordance with Rosatom's proposals, work has begun on the issue of attracting state export financing from the Russian Federation.' Russian President Vladimir Putin visited Kazakhstan in November and discussed boosting energy and industry ties with the country, which exports most of its oil through Russia but is exploring alternatives. In an article for the Kazakhstanskaya Pravda newspaper, Putin wrote that Rosatom, already involved in some projects in Kazakhstan, 'is ready for new large-scale projects.' In October, Kazakhstan voted in a referendum in favor of constructing its first nuclear power plant. The plan, backed by President Kassym-Jomart Tokayev, faced criticism from some Kazakhs. Kazakhstan is one of the world's biggest uranium producers but currently relies mostly on coal-powered plants for its electricity, supplemented by some hydroelectric plants and the growing renewable energy sector. Rosatom, created by a presidential decree in 2007, says it is the only company in the world that has all technologies of the nuclear fuel cycle, from uranium mining and nuclear research to building, fueling and running nuclear power plants.
The Sun
6 days ago
- Business
- The Sun
Russia's Rosatom, China's CNNC to lead consortiums to build first nuclear power plants in Kazakhstan
ASTANA: Russia's state nuclear corporation Rosatom and state-owned China National Nuclear Corporation have been tapped to lead separate consortiums to build the first nuclear power plants in Kazakhstan, the country's atomic energy agency said on Saturday. The oil- and gas-rich nation of 20 million has not had any nuclear power generation capacity since 1999, when the BN-350 reactor on the shores of the Caspian Sea was decommissioned. Kazakhstan is one of the world's biggest uranium producers but currently relies mostly on coal-powered plants for its electricity, supplemented by some hydroelectric plants and the growing renewable energy sector. In October, Kazakhstan voted in a referendum, backed by its president, in favour of constructing nuclear power plants. The country says it plans to have 2.4 gigawatts of nuclear capacity by 2035. In a statement on Saturday, the Kazakh atomic energy agency, created this March, called Rosatom's proposal 'the most optimal and advantageous', and said work has begun to attract state export financing from Russia. Rosatom's chief executive officer Alexei Likhachev welcomed the news, saying that Rosatom's plant will be 'based on the most advance and efficient design in the world.' The two-reactor plant will be built in the village of Ulken, about 250 miles (400 km) northwest of Almaty, the commercial capital. Likhachev said the plant would employ VVER-1200 Generation 3+ reactors, a Russian technology used both domestically and abroad. Almasadam Satqaliev, the Kazakh agency's chairman, said Kazakhstan would sign a separate agreement with China's CNNC for a second nuclear plant. 'China is definitely one of the countries that has all the necessary technologies and the entire industrial base, and our next main priority is cooperation with China,' Satqaliev said in a statement. CNNC did not immediately reply to a request for comment outside of working hours. It was not immediately clear which other companies would participate in the two consortiums, nor the cost and timeline of the proposals. French and South Korean companies had also submitted proposals to Kazakhstan. Kazakhstan is boosting energy ties with both Russia and China. Russian President Vladimir Putin visited Kazakhstan in November to discuss energy and industry cooperation. The Central Asian country exports most of its oil through neighbour Russia, but is exploring alternatives. China's top energy firm, China National Petroleum Corp, agreed in February with Kazakhstan's national gas company to take more gas for 2024-2025. It also signed a crude oil purchase and sales agreement with Tengizchevroil, a consortium producing oil in Kazakhstan.
