According to the exit poll, Kazakhstan is voting for the construction of a nuclear power plant

Almaty – On October 6, Kazakhstan voted in a referendum on building its first nuclear power plant, and an exit poll showed that voters supported the idea promoted by President Kassym-Jomart Tokayev’s office as a way to phase out polluting coal-fired power plants.

The plan has faced public criticism over concerns about its dangers, the legacy of Soviet nuclear testing and fears that Russia would be involved in the project.

Nearly 64 percent of registered voters cast their votes by 8 p.m. (11 p.m. Singapore time), when polling stations were closed, the Central Electoral Commission said, declaring the vote valid.

The commission will announce preliminary results on Oct. 7, but an exit poll of about 284,000 voters showed 69.8 percent voted in favor of the plan, a local SOCIS-A poll said hours after voting ended.

“I came to the conclusion that the decision to build a nuclear power plant and its construction with (Russian state nuclear concern) Rosatom has already been made in (Tokayev’s office) and the people of Kazakhstan are invited to the polling stations as “notaries” who will confirm this decision with their votes,” wrote popular blogger Vadim Boreiko.

In the village of Ulken on the shores of Lake Balkhash in the southeast of the country, which the Council of Ministers has designated as the site for a power plant, some residents hope the project will bring jobs. Others expressed concern about the impact on the lake’s water quality.

Ms. Dametken Shulgeyeva, who has lived in the village of 1,200 people for over 20 years, said: “I support the plant. This is our future.”

Despite significant natural gas reserves, the Central Asian nation of 20 million generates electricity mainly from coal-fired power plants, supplemented by some hydroelectric power plants and a growing renewable energy sector.

Kazakhstan already imports electricity, mainly from Russia, because its installations, many of them old, struggle to meet domestic demand. And coal is considered the most polluting energy source.