Nuclear power plants. On June 4, a formal ceremony was held at the site in the Farish District of the Jizzakh Region in Uzbekistan to mark the start of construction for the first power unit of the integrated nuclear power plant. Workers poured first concrete for the basemat. During the ceremony, Russian President Vladimir Putin and Uzbek President Shavkat Mirziyoyev gave permission to commence construction of the first unit via a video link. IAEA Director General Rafael Grossi delivered a welcoming address to the guests. The plant is being built under the world’s first export contract for the construction of small modular reactors (SMRs). It will comprise two large power units with VVER-1000 reactors and two smaller 55 MW units with RITM-200N reactors. “Once commissioned, the nuclear power plant will be able to meet up to 14% of the country’s electricity demand. This will give a new impetus to the industrial, technological, and economic development of the country,” said Andrey Petrov, First Deputy Director General for Nuclear Energy at Rosatom.