Russia on Friday started work to build the first nuclear power plant in Kazakhstan, the world’s biggest uranium producer and vast Central Asian state where Moscow, Beijing and Europe are all vying for influence. Russia has historically been the sole dominant player in the region and is trying to maintain its leading position, while China has invested billions into Kazakhstan under its Belt and Road Initiative. In a joint statement, Kazakhstan and Russia’s nuclear agencies said that they had started “engineering surveys to select the optimal site and prepare project documentation for the construction of a large-capacity nuclear power plant”.
