Erdogan proposes second nuclear power plant at Sinop as Rosatom expands in Türkiye

Rosatom has received a proposal from Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan to build a second nuclear power plant at the Sinop site in Türkiye.

This announcement was made by Rosatom CEO Alexei Likhachev during an interview with Russian media, per Caliber.Az.

“This proposal comes directly from President Erdogan, who discussed it with Russian President Vladimir Putin. We are currently holding consultations at the governmental level regarding the potential expansion of our operations in Türkiye at the Sinop site, which is located along the Black Sea,” Likhachev stated.

He noted that Turkish businesses have developed a strong interest in nuclear technologies. “The Turkish side has shown a capacity to understand the requirements and challenges within the nuclear power industry. We are receiving significant support from Turkish businesses to continue our construction efforts. Our goal is to create a maximally unified approach. Given our experience with the Akkuyu project, we plan to apply everything that can be standardized and unified at the Sinop site,” Likhachev added.

In July, Turkish Minister of Energy and Natural Resources Alparslan Bayraktar indicated in an interview with Bloomberg that Rosatom is better positioned than companies from other countries to assist with the construction of the nuclear power plant in Sinop. He highlighted Rosatom's experience with the Akkuyu NPP as a key differentiator.

The Akkuyu NPP, currently being built by Rosatom, is Türkiye’s first nuclear power plant and comprises four power units featuring Russian-designed VVER generation 3+ reactors, each with a capacity of 1,200 MW. This project is notable for being the first in the global nuclear sector implemented under a build-own-operate (BOO) model.

Strategic cooperation between Russia and Türkiye in the nuclear sector began with the Akkuyu project in Mersin, formalized in 2010. This initiative is Türkiye's first fully BOO project and aims for the Akkuyu plant to reach full capacity by 2026. The first unit began loading nuclear fuel in April 2023.

Türkiye views the expansion of nuclear power as a means to enhance its energy security and diversify its energy sources, thereby reducing reliance on hydrocarbon imports. Discussions for a second nuclear power plant at the Sinop site have been ongoing for years, with Sinop identified as a key candidate for this development. Originally, in 2013, Türkiye reached an agreement with Japanese and French companies for the Sinop project, but negotiations were eventually halted due to high costs and various technical challenges.

By Tamilla Hasanova