On October 6, Kazakhstan held a referendum asking adult citizens a single question: “Do you agree with the construction of a nuclear power plant in Kazakhstan?” The Central Election Commission announced the results on October 8, showing that over 71% of voters answered “yes.” While voter turnout was high, at nearly 64%, some have raised concerns about the legitimacy of the outcome.
We reached out to CAN EECCA members in Kazakhstan to gather their perspectives on the organisation of the referendum, whether they were disappointed by the results, and the key takeaways from their involvement in the anti-nuclear campaign they actively led or supported.
Ludmila Petrova from the NGO “Angel” remarked that the outcome was unsurprising, given the robust pro-nuclear campaign heavily backed by the government and funded by the state budget. She underscored the importance of continued public involvement in the next steps, stating, “Every citizen bears responsibility for the referendum results, so we must remain active and closely monitor future developments“.
Svetlana Mogilyuk from the NGO “ECOM” had also anticipated the outcome but still participated as an observer. She noted that, based on her observations at several polling stations in Pavlodar, the majority of voters at those locations opposed nuclear power. For instance, at polling station 110, 66.4% voted against the construction of the nuclear plant. However, despite these local results, the national tally told a different story. Mogilyuk stressed the importance of continuing efforts to strengthen civic engagement moving forward.
Vadim Ni from the Social and Environmental Fund reflected on the efforts of the “AES KEREK EMES” platform (“No need for an NPP” in Kazakh), which brought together opponents of nuclear energy. He pointed out the challenges they encountered, including limited funding and a reliance on personal resources. Ni emphasised that although they didn’t achieve their desired outcome, the movement has a long road ahead in dispelling the myths surrounding nuclear energy.
“We have plenty of time to demonstrate that nuclear power is unnecessary for Kazakhstan, and we will work tirelessly to ensure these misconceptions don’t come at a heavy cost to our country,” Ni explained, suggesting that the lengthy development process of an NPP offers a window to convince both decision-makers and the public that it’s a dangerous, time-consuming, and prohibitively expensive option.
CAN EECCA firmly believes that new nuclear and fossil fuel projects, along with their direct and indirect subsidies, should be abandoned. Our network, which includes 54 organizations across 11 countries in Eastern Europe, the Caucasus, and Central Asia, calls on regional governments to redirect financial support towards a just energy transition, focusing on energy efficiency and renewable energy. The CAN EECCA position on nuclear energy can be found here.