Russia’s state nuclear corporation Rosatom will lead the construction of the first atomic power plant in Kazakhstan, the world’s top uranium producer, authorities in the Central Asian country said on Saturday.

“Rosatom has been named as the leader of the international consortium for the construction of the first nuclear power plant in Kazakhstan,” Kazakhstan’s nuclear power agency said in a statement.

Kazakhstan, a vast resource-rich country in Central Asia, is currently the world’s top uranium producer, providing 43% of global supplies. However, does not currently produce enough electricity to meet domestic consumption needs.

The new power plant, whose construction was approved in a referendum in late 2024, will be built near the partially abandoned village of Ulken near Balkhash Lake. The lake, located in the southeast, is the country’s second largest.

China’s National Nuclear Corporation, France’s EDF and South Korea’s Hydro and Nuclear Power had all bid to build the plant.