Türkiye is calling on American companies to collaborate on small modular reactors (SMR), a technology that its energy minister says holds an important place in the country's long-term plans as part of efforts to meet climate targets and boost energy security.

Energy and Natural Resources Minister Alparslan Bayraktar noted that nuclear energy is absolutely needed for the country’s energy supply security, access to clean energy and the goal of becoming a carbon-neutral economy by 2053.

The country's ultimate goal is to increase electricity production capacity from nuclear energy to 20 gigawatts, nearly four times what its first nuclear power plant, Akkuyu, will generate once it becomes fully operational by 2028.

"Türkiye needs more conventional large-scale power plants. On the other hand, small modular reactors have developed substantially and have appeared before the world as an important alternative in the nuclear industry.

"Regarding this, we invite companies, especially from the US, to invest and cooperate in Türkiye and to develop this technology together," Bayraktar told Anadolu Agency (AA) on Thursday.

Bayraktar's remarks came on the sidelines of the 39th American-Turkish Conference in Washington, seen as a premier venue for U.S. and Turkish business leaders to engage in commercial diplomacy.

SMRs are easier to operate and construct than large-scale nuclear power plants, while their modular quality allows for faster and less expensive manufacturing.

Bayraktar said their goal is to have a nuclear-installed capacity of 20,000 megawatts and highlighted that they want to have Akkuyu Nuclear Power Plant operational "as soon as possible."

The plant's construction is underway in Türkiye's southern Mersin province. It will boast four reactors with a total installed capacity of 4,800 megawatts and will supply 10% of Türkiye's electricity consumption.

Its commissioning will help the nation further diversify the fuel mix while reducing 35 million tons of carbon emission annually and contributing to its energy security.

LNG cooperation

Bayraktar referred to energy and natural resources as areas that can help further advance the economic relations between Türkiye and the U.S.

He said they developed the Energy and Climate Dialogue mechanism together with the U.S. to bring bilateral relations in the field of energy to a "more institutional level."

The minister said the first meeting on the mechanism was held with U.S. Secretary of Energy Jennifer Granholm on Wednesday.

"This platform will not only regulate the relations of governments and ministries with each other, but we will later make it a much more comprehensive and result-oriented platform with the participation of companies from Türkiye and America," he added.

Addressing the conference in Washington, Bayraktar stressed Ankara is "ready" to boost energy cooperation with the US and said, "We are fully committed to having a better, cleaner and sustainable energy future for all."

"Our joint action in this strategic area requires strategic partnership, which we look forward to having, and so we are ready to enhance our bilateral cooperation with the U.S. in the field of energy and minerals and welcome you all to join us in this journey," he noted.

Ankara is ready to engage in meaningful discussions and explore new avenues for cooperation that will benefit Türkiye and the U.S., he added.

"Türkiye and the U.S. have several potential areas of cooperation. The number of areas is growing as energy transition has become an undeniable reality of the industry.

"Areas like renewables, critical minerals and LNG are among many. Not only in our respective countries, but we can also cooperate in third countries and in different regions," said Bayraktar.

He recalled a long-term deal on liquefied natural gas (LNG) trade that Türkiye's state-owned Petroleum Pipeline Company (BOTAŞ) signed with ExxonMobil on Wednesday.

"The agreement signed between BOTAŞ and ExxonMobil has the following feature; we had already started purchasing American LNG in Türkiye in the last few years, America had become one of our important suppliers, but the issue and project we are talking about now is actually a long-term agreement," he said.

Stressing that the deal could last 10-15 years, he added: "I think that this cooperation will contribute to both countries and companies and is important for our natural gas market in terms of diversification."

Türkiye has seven international natural gas pipelines, five LNG facilities, including three floating storage and regasification units, and two underground natural gas storage facilities.

The country aims to become a key gas hub in the region, excel as an exporter, and be an effective manager of the gas it provides.