AKIPRESS.COM - Toshiba Corp. is likely to export a reactor for a new nuclear power plant in Kazakhstan, according to the Japanese media.

The deal would mark the first time that a Japanese company has exported a nuclear reactor to a former Soviet republic. There are also hopes it will lend momentum to infrastructure exports by Japanese firms, which are being promoted through the government’s growth strategy, and strengthen ties with Kazakhstan.

Toshiba and Kazakhstan’s state-run nuclear power firm Kazatomprom held negotiations in late December, at which the two sides agreed on an order to be fulfilled by the Japanese manufacturer, according to sources.

Toshiba will export an AP-1000 advanced pressurized light water reactor produced by U.S. subsidiary Westinghouse Electric Co., with a generating capacity around the level of 1 million kilowatts. The order’s expected value is ¥400 billion ($3.36 million) to ¥500 billion ($4.2 million).

Toshiba is expected to sign a contract with Kazatomprom before the end of fiscal 2014. Operation of the reactor is set to start by 2030 in Kurchatov, northeastern Kazakhstan.