IMPACT OF A NUCLEAR POWER PLANT ON THE ENERGY BALANCE AND LOAD COVERAGE OF UZBEKISTAN’S POWER SYSTEM

This study examines the effect of a nuclear power plant comprising two VVER-1000 units and two 55 MW RITM-200N units on Uzbekistan’s power system. Official capacity statistics and explicitly modelled daily profiles are used to estimate annual energy output and load coverage under two solar and wind scenarios. With an assumed 7% auxiliary consumption and a 90% gross capacity factor, estimated annual output after operating auxiliary consumption is 15.47 TWh. Availability, capacity factor and power supplied to the grid are distinguished. Constant nuclear output reduces residual load but does not change its hourly increments. In the higher-renewables scenario, a 500 MW storage facility with 2 GWh of recoverable energy reduces renewable curtailment by 25.1%. An analytical check identifies charging power as the binding constraint. The results apply to the stated model conditions. Actual outage schedules, shutdown auxiliary demand and network constraints require a separate assessment.