It will become part of the existing settlement rather than a separate workers' town, reports the Agency of the Republic of Kazakhstan for Atomic Energy.

The essence in brief

• The town is designed to accommodate up to 33,000 people and will be integrated into the existing Ulken.
• Housing, schools, medical facilities, hotels, services and personnel training centers are planned.
• At the peak of station construction, up to 15,000 workers will be needed; for operation, about 2,000.
• The contract for the design and construction of the Balkhash NPP was signed on September 3, 2026; the construction cost is estimated at $16.4 billion.

What is planned to be built in Ulken

The Chairman of the Agency, Almasadam Satkaliyev, spoke about the plans for the comprehensive development of Ulken at a meeting with Kazakh specialists working at the Akkuyu NPP in Turkey. According to him, in addition to housing, schools, medical facilities, personnel training and retraining centers, as well as hotel infrastructure will be built in the settlement, and the service sector and business will be developed.

"This will not be a separate workers' settlement. This will be the development of Ulken with all the accompanying infrastructure necessary for life," said the Chairman of the Agency of the Republic of Kazakhstan for Atomic Energy.

What will happen to the facilities after construction

The planning will provide for the further use of the facilities created for the construction of the NPP. After the completion of the work, they can be used for the needs of the settlement and the development of entrepreneurship. Special attention is promised to be given to digital solutions: Ulken is to be made one of the most advanced settlements on the coast of Balkhash, and its location provides opportunities for recreation and tourism. In addition, a training center is planned to be located in the settlement for the training, retraining and advanced training of future station workers.

How many workers will be needed and where they will be trained

According to the head of the Agency, at the peak of construction up to 15,000 workers will be required: construction engineers, welders, installers, electricians, automation and quality control specialists. For the operation of the station, about 2,000 people are needed, including nuclear engineers, reactor plant operators, nuclear and radiation safety specialists and equipment maintenance specialists.

Personnel will be trained jointly with specialized universities of Kazakhstan, as well as educational organizations of China and Russia. Nuclear industry workers will be able to study under the Bolashak program, which provides quotas for master's, doctoral studies and internships at leading foreign organizations in the industry. Satkaliyev assured that specialists will be provided with housing, and the development of Ulken will open up new opportunities for work and career for young people.

What is known about the station itself

The contract for the design and construction of Kazakhstan's first NPP was signed on September 3, 2026, by "Kazakhstan Nuclear Power Plants" and "Atomstroyexport," a structure of Rosatom. It provides for two power units with a total electrical capacity of 2,400 MW; the construction cost is estimated at $16.4 billion. The station will be built near Ulken in the Zhambyl district of the Almaty region. In his Address on October 28, President Kassym-Jomart Tokayev proposed starting construction in 2027.

What is happening with nuclear energy in Kazakhstan

The station operator is preparing the site, licenses and a register of domestic suppliers, and the project must move to practical implementation in 2027; 20 Bolashak grants were allocated for personnel training this year. In October, experts from the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) in Astana reviewed Kazakhstan's report on readiness for its first NPP in 19 areas; the date of the main mission had not been set at that time. To train specialists, a classroom with a simulator of the SMR-300 small modular reactor from the American company Holtec International has appeared at the Institute of Nuclear Physics in Almaty; the annual need for new nuclear specialists is estimated at 200-300 people. For the fuel of future stations, Kazakhstan intends to reserve at least 150,000 t of uranium by 2050.

Author's conclusion

A town for 33,000 people with a need for 15,000 workers at the peak of construction means that Ulken is planned to be transformed from a settlement into a small city with families, schools and a service sector, rather than just a shift camp. The main test will be timing: if construction begins in 2027, housing, schools and healthcare will have to be prepared in parallel with the station.