Türkiye plans to launch trial production at its first nuclear power plant next year, a senior official said Thursday, as the nation seeks to integrate cleaner resources into its energy mix and curb external dependency.
Türkiye plans to load the first fuel in its over 90% complete first reactor of the Akkuyu Nuclear Power Plant in 2025, marking the start of trial production, Energy and Natural Resources Minister Alparslan Bayraktar said.
"This is one of the significant milestones in Türkiye's nuclear history," Bayraktar told a ceremony marking the completion of the turbine facility for the plant's first unit.
The $20 billion (TL 699.02 billion), 4,800 megawatts (MW) Akkuyu plant will bring Türkiye into the small club of nations with civil nuclear energy.
Türkiye plans to build at least three nuclear power plants for 15,000 MW of nuclear generation capacity. It aims to complement these with up to 5,000 MW of small modular reactors (SMRs) to diversify its electricity production mix.
A four-reactor plant, Akkuyu is under construction in the Mediterranean region and is being built by Russian conglomerate Rosatom. Türkiye plans a second one in the Black Sea province of Sinop and a third in the northwest region of Thrace.
Once fully operational, the Akkuyu plant will meet one-tenth of Türkiye's electricity needs and prevent the annual import of 7 billion cubic meters of natural gas and 35 million tons of carbon emissions, according to authorities.
Bayraktar said construction of Akkuyu's four reactors is progressing rapidly. The remaining three reactors are expected to come online by the end of 2028.
"We need to have all four reactors operational by 2028. The electricity produced from these reactors will meet 10% of our country's electricity needs in a clean and carbon-free manner, reducing carbon emissions by approximately 35 million tons," said Bayraktar.
Türkiye has limited oil and natural gas resources and has been investing in explorations for hydrocarbon resources and renewable sources like wind and solar for over a decade to meet its increasing electricity demand.
Nuclear energy also plays an important role in reaching Türkiye's 2053 net zero emission target.
"We are a country with a growing economy, exports and industry. Therefore, our electricity demand will continue to increase as it has over the past 20 years. To meet this increasing demand in an uninterrupted, environmentally friendly and low-emission manner, we have made nuclear energy one of the fundamental elements of our energy policy," said Bayraktar.
"Türkiye must fully utilize its local and renewable energy sources – solar, wind and geothermal. We must also use our energy efficiently. To meet the rising demand, achieve the net-zero emission target by 2053 and transform Türkiye's economy into a net-zero carbon economy, we must definitely include nuclear energy."
Türkiye plans to add 7.2 gigawatts (GW) of nuclear capacity by 2035, with a longer-term goal of 20 GW by 2050, including small modular reactors.
"We have a long-standing goal. By 2050, Türkiye needs to add Sinop and Thrace alongside Akkuyu, and around 5,000 megawatts of small modular reactors alongside all these," said Bayraktar.
Türkiye's current nuclear energy law does not directly refer to SMRs, but authorities are reportedly drafting a law to facilitate the building of such reactors.
With a capacity of about 300-400 MW, these reactors are seen as a more cost-effective and space-efficient alternative to conventional nuclear plants, allowing them to be built closer to consumption centers and at lower costs.
Türkiye has been in talks with the U.S. and China about building small modular reactors.
"Türkiye will soon join the league of countries generating electricity from nuclear energy," Bayraktar said. "Our next goal is to make a final decision regarding the Sinop and Thrace projects by 2025 and to implement those projects correctly."
