President of Kazakhstan Kassym-Jomart Tokayev said that if citizens approve the construction of a nuclear power plant in a referendum, its construction and operation should be entrusted to an international consortium. However, there is an opinion that this carries great risks for the country, writes socialism.kz .
As is known, the supporters of the NPP won the national referendum on this issue held in Kazakhstan on October 6. According to preliminary data, 72.3% of the referendum participants voted for its construction, 27.7% opposed it.
"But the reaction of the authorities even before the end of the voting once again showed the duality and "multi—vector nature" of this event, as President Tokayev proposed transferring the construction of the NPP to some "international consortium," the newspaper writes.
The authors add that the proposal of the President of Kazakhstan to entrust the construction of the first nuclear power plant in the country to an international consortium raises many questions and requires a more detailed analysis.
"First of all, it is necessary to understand that the international consortium is not just a group of companies united by common interests. We are talking about a complex structure where companies with different levels of influence, different technologies and, most importantly, potentially conflicting interests can be involved. The issue of trust in such a consortium, especially in the context of the construction of nuclear power plants, is becoming critical. We must not forget that a nuclear power plant is not just an infrastructure facility, but a source of potential danger. Choosing the wrong contractor, design errors or poor—quality construction can lead to catastrophic consequences similar to the Chernobyl or Fukushima tragedies,"the publication further writes.
Thus, the authors note, the issue of choosing an international consortium for the construction of a nuclear power plant in Kazakhstan requires careful study and in-depth analysis of the following key aspects.
"In particular, there are factors that can destabilize the situation in the future, because they are a copy of the colonial system in the field of mining. Blind copying of this scheme in the energy sector can cause the opposite effect," the publication says.
The authors note the presence of a number of risks when making this decision.
Political risks: A consortium can be made up of companies representing countries with different political interests. There may be situations when political disagreements between states may adversely affect the construction and operation of nuclear power plants.
Economic risks: consortium members may have different financial capabilities, which may lead to imbalance and inefficiency. In addition, it is necessary to analyze the level of corruption in participating companies in order to exclude abuse.
Technological risks: There may be companies with different technologies in the consortium that may not be compatible or meet security requirements. It is also important to take into account the level of competence of companies in the construction and operation of nuclear power plants.
Environmental risks: The choice of the consortium should take into account not only economic and technical aspects, but also environmental ones. It is necessary to analyze to what extent the companies included in the consortium are responsible for the environment and are ready to minimize the negative impact of nuclear power plants on the environment.
"In light of all these risks, Tokayev's proposal may seem naive. The construction of a nuclear power plant is a strategic project that should be as transparent and controlled as possible. Entrusting such an important project to an international consortium consisting of companies with different interests can lead to unpredictable consequences. It is important to remember that safety and environmental responsibility must come first. Instead of "sitting on a few chairs" and looking for compromises, the government of Kazakhstan should carefully weigh the pros and cons and make an informed decision that will meet the interests of the country. This means the need to conduct an in—depth analysis of proposals from different companies, select the most competent and responsible contractor, formulate clear requirements for the design, construction and operation of nuclear power plants and create a system for monitoring the implementation of all stages of the project," the publication concludes.