Türkiye is negotiating with Russia and South Korea for the construction of the second nuclear power plant in Sinop, as well as with China for the third nuclear power plant in the country’s Thrace region, according to a Turkish ministry official on Wednesday.
The country’s first step towards nuclear power was taken in 2010 with the agreement to build the country’s first nuclear plant in Akkuyu, in the southern Mersin province.
The Akkuyu reactor, which was financed by Russia and built by the Russian state-owned nuclear energy company Rosatom, was formally launched in April this year.
The country is now ready for the construction of the second nuclear plant in the northern Sinop province, according to Salih Sari, head of the General Directorate of Nuclear Energy and International Projects at the Turkish Energy and Natural Resources Ministry.
'We are currently negotiating with South Korea and Russia regarding this field,' he said.
His remarks came during the plenary session of the fifth Nuclear Power Plants Fair and the ninth Nuclear Power Plants Summit in Istanbul, where numerous nuclear energy firms from across the world attended.
He further confirmed that Türkiye is in talks with China for the construction of the third nuclear plant in the northwestern Thrace region and that field research is underway for a fourth nuclear plant.
'In addition, we are in close contact with US, British and French companies for Small Modular Reactors (SMRs),' Sari said.
According to Anton Dedusenko, deputy chairman of the Akkuyu Joint Stock Company (JSC), work at the Akkuyu facility is nearing completion, with the goal of completing construction for the first unit's installation by the end of this year.
He stated that Rosatom is open to discussions with Türkiye on new NPP projects, citing the importance of the company's collaboration.
Likewise, Türkiye Project Head of the Chinese State Energy Investment Company, Wang Xiaohang, highlighted the substantial energy cooperation with Turkish firms.
Hailing Türkiye’s steps in the field of nuclear energy, Wang said, 'We believe that Türkiye will become an important nuclear energy country in the coming decades.'
By Sibel Morrow
Anadolu Agency
energy@aa.com.tr