Alparslan Bayraktar, Turkey's Minister of Energy, announced that Russia has shown interest in Turkey's plans for the construction of its second and third nuclear power plants.
In an interview with the Turkish daily Sabah reported on September 6, Bayraktar stated, "Russia wants to transfer its experience and workforce from the Akkuyu nuclear power plant to Sinop."
He added, "In addition to Russia, we are also discussing nuclear projects with Canada, China, and South Korea," and noted that decisions will be made and legal agreements finalized in the coming months.
Bayraktar emphasized that Turkey aims to develop and produce small modular reactors (SMRs) by 2030, stating, "We will catch up with the nuclear era and become an exporter of SMRs."
This statement follows a recent meeting between Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan and Russian President Vladimir Putin, where they discussed potential further cooperation in the nuclear sector. Erdoğan remarked during the Shanghai Cooperation Organization summit in Kyrgyzstan on September 1, "We will take steps together to build new power plants."
Turkey is planning to construct additional power plants in Sinop and the Thrace region, following the Akkuyu plant, which is being built by Russia's state nuclear company Rosatom in Mersin, southern Turkey, since 2018.
Notably, the Sinop nuclear project, which Bayraktar specifically mentioned as a focus for Russian interest, has been a subject of ongoing discussions regarding South Korea's potential involvement.
In November of last year, Korea Electric Power Corporation and Turkey's Nuclear Energy Agency signed a memorandum of understanding (MOU) on cooperation in reactor technology and site evaluation during President Lee Jae-myung's visit to Turkey, where he met with President Erdoğan.
However, Turkey continues to consider Russia, Canada, and China as potential partners alongside South Korea. In June, Bayraktar visited the Cernavodă nuclear power plant in Romania, which utilizes Canadian CANDU reactor technology, and stated, "We are conducting research on potential partners and countries for technology selection related to the power plants to be built after Akkuyu."
In an interview with the Turkish daily Sabah reported on September 6, Bayraktar stated, "Russia wants to transfer its experience and workforce from the Akkuyu nuclear power plant to Sinop."
He added, "In addition to Russia, we are also discussing nuclear projects with Canada, China, and South Korea," and noted that decisions will be made and legal agreements finalized in the coming months.
Bayraktar emphasized that Turkey aims to develop and produce small modular reactors (SMRs) by 2030, stating, "We will catch up with the nuclear era and become an exporter of SMRs."
This statement follows a recent meeting between Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan and Russian President Vladimir Putin, where they discussed potential further cooperation in the nuclear sector. Erdoğan remarked during the Shanghai Cooperation Organization summit in Kyrgyzstan on September 1, "We will take steps together to build new power plants."
Turkey is planning to construct additional power plants in Sinop and the Thrace region, following the Akkuyu plant, which is being built by Russia's state nuclear company Rosatom in Mersin, southern Turkey, since 2018.
Notably, the Sinop nuclear project, which Bayraktar specifically mentioned as a focus for Russian interest, has been a subject of ongoing discussions regarding South Korea's potential involvement.
In November of last year, Korea Electric Power Corporation and Turkey's Nuclear Energy Agency signed a memorandum of understanding (MOU) on cooperation in reactor technology and site evaluation during President Lee Jae-myung's visit to Turkey, where he met with President Erdoğan.
However, Turkey continues to consider Russia, Canada, and China as potential partners alongside South Korea. In June, Bayraktar visited the Cernavodă nuclear power plant in Romania, which utilizes Canadian CANDU reactor technology, and stated, "We are conducting research on potential partners and countries for technology selection related to the power plants to be built after Akkuyu."
* This article has been translated by AI.
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