Polls are open in Kazakhstan for a landmark referendum on structure the nation’s initially nuclear power plant
MOSCOW — Polls are open in Kazakhstan Sunday for a landmark referendum on structure the nation’s initially nuclear power plant, facing the nation’s unpleasant tradition as a screening ground for Soviet nuclear weapons.
The proposition is backed by the federalgovernment and President Kassym-Jomart Tokayev, who hopes to increase the nation’s energy security.
The plant, which is slated to be constructed close to Lake Balkhash in southeastern Kazakhstan, would take pressure off the coal-powered power stations on which the nation greatly relies.
Although the usage of eco-friendly energy is growing, fans think Kazakhstan’s position as one of the world’s biggest uranium manufacturers makes nuclear energy a sensible option.
However, the usage of nuclear products stays a questionable and typically delicate subject in Kazakhstan, which was utilized as a screening ground for the Soviet Union’s nuclear program.
The weapon tests made big swaths of land in the northeastern Semei area uninhabitable, ravaging the regional environment and impacting the health of close-by homeowners. In overall, 456 tests were brought out inbetween 1949 and 1989 at the Semipalatinsk test website. It