S.Korean company proposes to build four nuclear reactors for Türkiye

Korea Electric Power Corporation (KEPCO) has submitted a preliminary proposal to Turkey for the construction of four APR-1400 nuclear reactors at an undisclosed site in the northern part of the country.

KEPCO CEO Seung-il Jeong presented the proposal to Fatih Dönmez, Turkey's Minister of Energy and Natural Resources, on 30 January, during a meeting in which they discussed plans for KEPCO to participate in the nuclear power plant project, WNN reports.

"The main contents of the proposal include the introduction of KEPCO and Korea's excellent nuclear power plant construction capabilities, the business structure of the Turkey nuclear power plant, the construction period, and localisation," KEPCO said in a statement.

"With the submission of a preliminary proposal by KEPCO, full-fledged discussions for the export of new nuclear power plants to Turkey began, and KEPCO plans to conduct a project feasibility study jointly with Turkey, expected to derive the optimal business promotion plan," it added.

Under a USD20 billion deal announced in December 2009, four Korean-designed APR1400 reactors are being built at Barakah in the UAE by a consortium led by the KEPCO. The first concrete for Barakah 1 was poured in July 2012, while that units 2-4 were poured in April 2013, September 2014 and July 2015, respectively. The first three of these units were connected to the grid in August 2020, September 2021 and October 2022, respectively.

"Among the newest nuclear power plants currently under construction in the West, KEPCO is the only operator that has gained customer trust by meeting the given budget and timing," the company said.

Turkey's nuclear programme was successfully launched by President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan in around 2006. Four VVER-1200 reactors are currently being built by Russia at Akkuyu on Turkey's Mediterranean coast under a 2010 intergovernmental agreement. Two further sites were proposed for nuclear development: Sinop, which is central on Turkey's Black Sea coast, and Ignaeda, which is on the Black Sea in the European part of Turkey.

Various plans have been discussed for the two proposed sites. Four Atmea1 units by a joint venture of Framatome and Mitsubishi Heavy Industries were discussed for Sinop and an intergovernmental agreement was signed with Japan giving it "exclusive negotiating rights to build a nuclear power plant". For Ignaeda, there have been discussions with Westinghouse and China's State Nuclear Power Technology Corporation (SNPTC) regarding AP1000s and SNPTC's development of them, the CAP1400.