Ülken (, , ; ) is a village in the Jambyl District of

Almaty Region Almaty Region ( ), formerly known as the Alma-Ata Region until 1993, is a region in Kazakhstan, located in the southeastern part of the country. It surrounds, but does not include, the eponymous city of Almaty. Its capital is Qonaev. Geography ...

Kazakhstan Kazakhstan, officially the Republic of Kazakhstan, is a landlocked country primarily in Central Asia, with a European Kazakhstan, small portion in Eastern Europe. It borders Russia to the Kazakhstan–Russia border, north and west, China to th ...

and the administrative center of the Ülken rural district. Before 2013, Ülken was classified as an

urban-type settlement Urban-type settlement, abbreviated: ; , abbreviated: ; ; ; ; . is an official designation for lesser urbanized settlements, used in several Central and Eastern Europe, Central and Eastern European countries. The term was primarily used in the So ...

History

The settlement was founded in 1984 in connection with the proposed construction of the South Kazakhstan State District Power Plant (YUKGRES), which was never carried out. In 1986, the settlement was transferred from the Moiynkum District of the Dzhambul Region to the of the Alma-Ata Region, giving the name Ülken and classifying it as a "working settlement". In 1997, at the proposal of the President of the Nuclear Society of Kazakhstan

Vladimir Shkolnik Vladimir Sergeyevich Shkolnik (; born 17 February 1949) is a Kazakhstani politician who served as the Minister of Industry and Trade in the Government of Kazakhstan

, it was decided to use the site for the construction of a

nuclear power plant A nuclear power plant (NPP), also known as a nuclear power station (NPS), nuclear generating station (NGS) or atomic power station (APS) is a thermal power station in which the heat source is a nuclear reactor. As is typical of thermal power st ...

, but protests from environmentalists and residents of the area again forced the plans to be reconsidered, and at the end of 2008

the Government A government is the system or group of people governing an organized community, generally a State (polity), state. In the case of its broad associative definition, government normally consists of legislature, executive (government), execu ...

decided to build the Balkhash Thermal Power Plant. Preparations for the construction of the BTPP began in 2013, but were suspended sometime later. In the first half of 2016, some materials were delivered to the construction site, and the construction site was also prepared, after which activity stopped again. In the early 2020s, the government once again proposed that a nuclear power plant be built in Ülken. A large portion of the local residents protested against the proposal in August 2023. Most of the ones opposing, including Kazakh ecologists, are troubled about the already worryingly low levels of the

Balkhash Lake Lake Balkhash, also spelt Lake Balqash (, , ), is a lake in southeastern Kazakhstan, one of the largest lakes in Asia and the 15th largest in the world. It is located in the eastern part of Central Asia and sits in the Balkhash-Alakol Basin, ...

, which is a major food and income source for the settlement. In June 2023, President

Kassym-Jomart Tokayev Kassym-Jomart Kemeluly Tokayev (born 17 May 1953) is a Kazakhstani politician and diplomat who has served as the second president of Kazakhstan since 2019. He previously served as Prime Minister of Kazakhstan, Prime Minister from 1999 to 2002 ...

announced that a referendum on the construction of the nuclear power plant would take place in the autumn of 2024.

Population

According to the 1989 census, 3,977 people lived in the village (2,047 men and 1,930 women). In 1999, the population of the village was 3,106 people (1,538 men and 1,568 women). According to the 2009 census, 1,682 people lived in the village (813 men and 869 women).

Infrastructure

In August 2023,

Radio Liberty Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty (RFE/RL) is a media organization broadcasting news and analyses in 27 languages to 23 countries across Eastern Europe, Central Asia, the Caucasus, and the Middle East. Headquartered in Prague since 1995, RFE/RL ...

reported that the village lacks proper roads, jobs and a hospital. The absence of a local hospital especially worries the local populace, as ill people are forced to drive to Priozyorsk,

Karaganda Region Karaganda Region (; ) is a region of Kazakhstan. Its capital is Karaganda. The region borders Akmola and Pavlodar Region to the north, Abai Region to the east, Jetisu, Almaty, and Zhambyl Regions to the south, and Kostanay and Ulytau regio ...

, which is away. The city administration (akimat) lacks an official building, and the äkim and his apparatus operate in a rented three-roomed flat.

References

{{Reflist Populated places established in 1984 Populated places in Almaty Region