Reuters
Kazakhstan votes in a referendum on Sunday on whether to build its first nuclear power plant, an idea promoted by President Kassym-Jomart Tokayev's government as the Central Asian nation seeks to phase out polluting coal plants. "I have come to the conclusion that the decision to build the nuclear power plant, and to build it with (Russian state nuclear firm) Rosatom, has already been made in (Tokayev's office) and the people of Kazakhstan are being invited to polling stations as 'notaries' to authenticate this decision with their votes," popular blogger Vadim Boreiko wrote. Despite having sizeable natural gas reserves, the Central Asian nation of 20 million relies mostly on coal-powered plants for its electric power needs, supplemented by some hydroelectric plants and the growing renewable energy sector.