Turkey to start building first nuclear power plant in 2018

• 6 years ago (2017-06-19)
• David Flin

Middle East 310 Nuclear 639

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The Turkish subsidiary of Russia’s nuclear energy company Rosatom said that it plans to launch its project to build Turkey’s first nuclear power plant in 2018.

Russia and Turkey signed an inter-governmental agreement in 2010 on cooperation in construction and operation of Turkey’s first nuclear power plant. The $20 billion Akkuyu project specifies building four units with VVER-1200 reactors, and a total capacity of 4800 MW in the southern Turkish province of Mersin. The plant is expected to generate around 6-7 per cent of Turkey’s electricity demand.

The project is being undertaken by Akkuyu Nuclear Company, a subsidiary of Rosatom Energy International, which was granted a 49-year-long electricity generation licence from the Turkish Energy Market Regulatory Authority (EMRA). Rosatom said in a statement: “After carefully reviewing the bid, the EPDK managing council decided to give the green light to the bid, and issued a power generation licence to Akkuyu Nuclear Company, valid until 15 June, 2066.”

Akkuyu Nuclear expects that it will obtain permissions from the Ministry of Forest and Water Management, the Ministry of Finance, and the Turkish Atomic Energy Authority (TAEK) this summer. These will enable Akkuyu Nuclear to start the construction of auxiliary facilities and other sections of the nuclear power plant not directly related to nuclear power generation. Main construction works are expected to begin in March 2018. Rosatom said: “In line with the intergovernmental agreement, the first unit is to be put on stream no later than seven years after the Turkish side issues all required permissions.”