Russian Energy Minister Alexander Novak said that they aimed to launch the first unit of the Akkuyu nuclear power plant in 2023. Speaking at the 22nd World Petroleum Congress, Novak stated that they are striving to take the first unit of the Akkuyu nuclear power plant into operation on the 100th anniversary of the founding of the Republic of Turkey. He also noted that the construction of 50 kilometers of the sea section of the TurkStream project has been completed, saying that Turkey will soon submit the required documents to the Russian side about the exit points of the project.

Meanwhile, President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan underscored that the use of domestic energy sources should be increased in order to ensure sustainable growth, adding that they will focus on renewable and nuclear energy investments within this scope. Erdoğan also announced that works on the third nuclear power plant have started.

The nuclear plant in the southern province of Mersin is the first of three nuclear power plants Turkey currently plans to build to reduce its dependence on imported energy from exporters. Turkey launched the construction of its first nuclear power plant in negotiations with Russia in 2010 for greater energy independence. The $20 billion project will consist of four units, each of which will be capable of generating 1,200 megawatts of electricity. Rosatom is constructing Akkuyu and it is expected that the facility will produce approximately 35 billion kilowatt-hours of electricity per year once completed and its service life is estimated to last 60 years.