Türkiye close to launch its first Akkuyu nuclear reactor

The first reactor of Türkiye’s Akkuyu Nuclear Power Plant is currently 95% complete, with the launch of electricity production scheduled for 2026, Energy Minister Alparslan Bayraktar said in an interview with Kanal 7.

“Originally, these works were planned to be completed by April 2025, but delays occurred due to the pandemic and political obstacles in procuring some equipment. Now, all our efforts are focused on completing the first reactor, which is approximately 95% finished, and starting electricity production in 2026. We are working toward this together with Russia and Rosatom,” Bayraktar said.

The minister noted that one Akkuyu reactor is equivalent to a 5,000-megawatt solar power plant. “The 1,200-megawatt reactor we are building at Akkuyu will generate roughly the same amount of electricity as a 5,000-megawatt solar plant, because sunlight is not always available. In addition to wind and solar energy, we need conventional power plants that can provide uninterrupted electricity. Nuclear energy must be a priority on this list,” he said.

Bayraktar also emphasised Türkiye’s plans to expand installed wind and solar capacity to 120,000 megawatts by 2035, which will require an annual capacity increase of 8–9,000 megawatts.

By Khagan Isayev