Kazakhstan faces legacy of Soviet weapons testing in nuclear power referendum

Moscow — 

Polls are unfastened successful Kazakhstan Sunday for a landmark referendum connected gathering the country’s archetypal atomic powerfulness plant, confronting the country's achy bequest arsenic a investigating crushed for Soviet atomic weapons.

The connection is backed by the authorities and the country’s president, Kassym-Jomart Tokayev, who hopes to boost the country’s vigor security.

The plant, which is slated to beryllium built adjacent to Lake Balkhash successful Kazakhstan’s southeast, would instrumentality unit disconnected the coal-powered powerfulness stations connected which the state heavy relies.

Although the usage of renewable vigor is growing, supporters judge Kazakhstan’s presumption arsenic 1 of the world’s largest uranium producers makes atomic vigor a logical choice.

However, the usage of atomic materials remains a arguable and often delicate taxable successful Kazakhstan, which was utilized arsenic a investigating crushed for the Soviet Union’s atomic program.

The limb tests made ample swaths of onshore successful the country’s northeastern Semei portion uninhabitable, devastating the section situation and affecting the wellness of adjacent residents. In total, 456 tests were carried retired betwixt 1949 and 1989 astatine the Semipalatinsk trial site. It was officially closed successful August 1991.

Critics person besides drawn attraction to the project’s precocious costs: The Kazakh authorities estimates that the atomic powerfulness works could outgo up to $12 billion.

Some Kazakhs person sought to protestation but person been impeded by authorities. Several anti-nuclear protesters were arrested crossed Kazakhstan Sunday, portion different activists said that support to clasp anti-nuclear rallies connected the time of the ballot had besides been denied by officials successful six Kazakh cities.

Questions connected Russian involvement

There are besides concerns that Russia’s authorities atomic agency, Rosatom, could beryllium invited to instrumentality portion successful the plant’s operation astatine a clip erstwhile an expanding fig of Kazakhs privation to region themselves from Moscow's influence. Rosatom had antecedently been named by the authorities arsenic 1 of 4 companies whose reactors could beryllium utilized for the plant, arsenic good arsenic companies from China, South Korea and France.

Tokayev, who has maintained a delicate balancing enactment betwixt Moscow and the West amid sanctions against Russia, has tried to allay specified fears by suggesting that the works could beryllium built by a multinational team.

“The authorities indispensable analyse and negotiate,” helium told reporters aft casting his referendum ballot Sunday. “But my idiosyncratic imaginativeness is that an planetary consortium of companies with the astir precocious exertion imaginable should enactment unneurotic successful Kazakhstan.”

The effect of the referendum is owed to beryllium announced Monday.