Kazakhstan to buy Toshiba N-reactor for its new nuclear plant

A uranium mine in Kazakhstan (Provided by Sumitomo Corp.)Toshiba Corp. is in negotiations with Kazakhstan's state-run nuclear energy company over the export of nuclear reactors, according to sources.

Westinghouse Electric Co., Toshiba’s U.S. subsidiary, will build the reactors for the central Asian nation, asahi.com reports.

In cooperation with Japan Atomic Power Co. and an affiliate of Marubeni Corp., Toshiba in 2010 started feasibility studies on constructing a nuclear plant in Kazakhstan.

The former Soviet republic is a major producer of uranium and plans to complete the building of a nuclear plant in the 2020s, the sources said.

Although it is now more difficult to build a new nuclear power plant in Japan due to the 2011 Fukushima nuclear disaster, the Japanese government has been promoting the export of nuclear energy technology as part of its economic-growth strategy.

Other than Toshiba, Hitachi Ltd. and Mitsubishi Heavy Industries Ltd. are active players in the nuclear energy sector. Mitsubishi Heavy Industries, which has tied up with Areva SA of France, has reached a basic agreement with Turkey on a contract for four nuclear reactors. Hitachi has been working on a plan to build a nuclear power plant in Lithuania, also in the 2020s.