OREANDA-NEWS. January 19, 2015. The final decision on the construction of nuclear power plants in Kazakhstan will be made after extensive discussions with the public. This has been announced by Vice Minister of Energy Bakhytzhan Dzhaksaliyev in the Majilis.

"The decision is still pending. The decision will be taken with a wide discussion, first of all, with the people and with the whole power structure," B. Dzhaksaliyev said, answering questions of MPs during the discussion of the draft Law "On the use of atomic energy".

He said that 2 construction sites for nuclear power plants have been identified in Kazakhstan today.

"The first site will be in the region of Lake Balkhash - the south-western part, railway station Shyganak, there is Urken village nearby. The second site - at the Semipalatinsk Test Site, Kurchatov city. Well, Kurchatov - is conditional as it is the Semipalatinsk Test Site," he explained.

According to Vice Minister of Energy, the final date of commissioning of NPP - 2025.

"We had to start arrangements on this matter yesterday in order to build in 2025. We have established a company for now - Kazakh nuclear power plants in the structure of the company "Kazatomprom". The decision to start construction has not been accepted until now, as well as the place of its location," he said.

Landfill from the NPP may become the Semipalatinsk Test Site.

"The service life of nuclear power plants - minimum 60 years. And, of course, even at the design stage there is a question of landfill. Most likely, burial waste in Kazakhstan is possible on the Semipalatinsk test site," B. Dzhaksaliyev said, answering questions of MPs during the discussion of draft law "On the use of atomic energy".

Vice Minister of Energy said that there is still no effective way of recycling nuclear waste in the world.

"The issue of waste is principle, but there is no solution at the international level also... Of course, today there are no better mechanisms of using waste in a closed cycle... In Kazakhstan, the questions on burial of waste are not as prevalent except imported waste from the Aktau BN-350 reactor, they are placed at the Semipalatinsk Test Site, on one of the sites. Monitoring and efficiency of the use of this waste burial is constantly carried out and meets all the standards that are defined by the IAEA," B. Dzhaksaliyev said.

The radiation background in the village Kalachi where people suffer for no good reason from "sleeping sickness" is not higher than in Astana and Almaty.

"There is no direct premise that they fall asleep because of uranium mines. There is no direct evidence. Moreover, full monitoring of nuclear and radiation safety in the village Kalachi is being carried out now. There is a special tactical response team, they do not observe any changes in background radiation. Background radiation in the village Kalachi is not higher than in Astana and Almaty," B. Dzhaksaliyev summed up, answering journalists' questions after presentation of a bill "On the use of atomic energy".

He also noted that the full range of operations on clearance of former mines in the region was conducted and continues at the moment. B. Dzhaksaliyev did not answer the question about the causes of disease in the village Kalachi, saying that "group of experts is working there".

According to the latest data 101 people has already been registered with a diagnosis "Encephalopathy of unknown genesis" in the village Kalachi, Akmola region.