Kazakhs Vote In Favour Of Building Country's First Nuclear Plant

MOSCOW, Oct 7 (Bernama-dpa) -- Kazakhstan is one step closer to building its first ever nuclear power plant after a majority of voters backed the plan in a referendum, despite a vocal anti-nuclear camp in the Central Asian republic, reported German news agency (dpa).

Some 71.1 per cent of citizens voted in favour of plans to build a nuclear power station on Lake Balkhash near the former capital Almaty in the southeast of the country, news agency Kazinform reported, citing preliminary results.

Some 63 per cent of 7.8 million eligible voters cast their ballot on Sunday, meaning the referendum was valid, according to official information.

Despite boasting large oil and gas reserves, Kazakhstan has been struggling with energy supply issues and proponents of the nuclear plans have been calling for the construction of a plant for years, pointing to the country's uranium deposits.

The government led by President Kassym-Jomart Tokayev is in favour of building a nuclear plant, with Tokayev hailing the referendum as historic when casting his vote.

Kazakhstan, a former Soviet republic, has a strong anti-nuclear movement due to Soviet nuclear tests conducted in its vast grasslands.

A number of anti-nuclear activists were detained before the referendum, according to civil rights activists.

Only a quarter of residents in Almaty, which would be in close proximity to the planned power plant, voted in the referendum.

Ahead of the vote, the government has already mulled awarding a construction contract to foreign companies, including to Chinese plant operator CNNC, South Korea's KNHP, the French EDF and Russia's Rosatom.

-- BERNAMA-dpa