Turkish Energy Minister Alparslan Bayraktar confirmed plans to launch the first reactor of the "Akkuyu" nuclear power plant in 2025, despite delays due to the refusal of the European side to deliver the necessary equipment.
„Work at the "Akkuyu" site continues intensively. Our target is 2025, which is a very important year for us in terms of launching the first reactor. We expect it to be launched this year, although only in test mode. Overall, our goal is to complete the construction of all four reactors as soon as possible. "And we hope that with the commissioning of the first power unit this year, we will get closer to the goal of starting to produce electricity in nuclear power plants, which Turkey has been striving for for the past 70 years," the minister said on the air of the TGRT television channel.
Bayraktar also recalled the delays in the implementation of the "Akkuyu" project due to the refusal of the European side to deliver equipment. "As you know, there was a delay there that we did not expect. Europe did not deliver the equipment that was needed. This is a consequence of the Russian-Ukrainian war or its use as a pretext for imposing sanctions against Russia. Of course, we found an alternative and the Russian company decided to deliver this equipment from another country, which, of course, took some time“, Bayraktar said.
Russian Deputy Prime Minister Alexander Novak reported earlier that Siemens had violated its obligations to supply equipment for the nuclear power plant under construction in Turkey and that negotiations with it had not yielded results. As a result, according to him, all the necessary components were found in countries friendly to Russia, and the parts have already been delivered to the site.
Bayraktar noted that in 2025 there is hope that it will be possible to complete preparations for signing agreements for the construction of two more nuclear power plants in the republic. “This year we will continue the process of discussing contracts with the relevant countries and companies for the nuclear power plant projects in Sinop and Thrace. Let's see how the process goes. I hope that we will be able to sign agreements. “This is our goal“, he said.
Akkuyu Nuclear Power Plant - the first nuclear power plant in Turkey, which is being built by the Russian state corporation “Rosatom”. The “Akkuyu” project includes four power units with VVER III+ generation reactors of Russian development. The capacity of each will be 1200 MW. According to the terms of the intergovernmental agreement, the first power unit of the nuclear power plant should be put into operation within seven years after receiving all permits. Considering that a license for the construction of the first power unit was obtained in 2018, this deadline falls on 2025.