Russia to build nuclear plant in Uzbekistan, Putin says weapons may be next

Russia to build nuclear plant in Uzbekistan, Putin says weapons may be next

By: The Associated Press    47 minutes ago

Russian President Vladimir Putin, left, and Uzbek President Shavkat Mirziyoyev walk past honor guard soldiers in Tashkent, Uzbekistan, on Friday, Oct. 19, 2018. Putin announced plans for the first nuclear power plant to be built in Uzbekistan and said the two countries may work together on military technology. (Pavel Bednyakov, Sputnik, Kremlin Pool/AP)

MOSCOW — Russian President Vladimir Putin and the president of Uzbekistan have agreed that Russia will build the ex-Soviet republic’s first nuclear power plant.

Putin says Moscow is ready to expand military technology ties with the government in Tashkent, including the possible joint production of weapons in Uzbekistan.

During Putin's visit to the Uzbek capital of Tashkent on Friday, he and President Shavkat Mirziyoyev ordered the start of preliminary work at the future plant's construction site.

The plant in the Navoi region of central Uzbekistan is estimated to have a cost $11 billion. It will have two 1,200-megawatt nuclear reactors and is set to begin operating in 2028.