Türkiye demands Germany's immediate delivery of Akkuyu NPP equipment

Türkiye's Energy Minister Alparslan Bayraktar said there is no legal basis for Siemens to delay the delivery of equipment for the Akkuyu nuclear power plant.

“The order was placed and paid for before 2020, even before the Russian-Ukrainian conflict and sanctions. The equipment was ordered by Rosatom from Germany. The realization of the Akkuyu project is being hindered because the paid equipment has not arrived in Türkiye. There is no legal basis for this delay,” Bayraktar told Turkish media, per Caliber.Az.

He further noted that the equipment is currently stored in warehouses and ready for dispatch. “I have not seen the full text with explanations as to why the equipment cannot be transferred to Türkiye,” he added.

Additionally, Rosatom has received a proposal from Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan to construct a second nuclear power plant at the Sinop site in Türkiye. Rosatom CEO Alexei Likhachev confirmed this during an interview with Russian media on October 26.

“This proposal comes directly from President Erdoğan, 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, located along the Black Sea,” Likhachev said.

He further emphasized that Turkish businesses have developed a significant interest in nuclear technologies. “The Turkish side has shown an understanding of the requirements and challenges of 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, Minister of Energy and Natural Resources Alparslan Bayraktar stated in an interview with Bloomberg that Rosatom is better positioned than other companies to help build the nuclear power plant in Sinop, citing the company’s experience with the Akkuyu NPP.

The Akkuyu NPP, currently under construction by Rosatom, is Türkiye’s first nuclear power plant and consists of four units featuring Russian-designed VVER generation 3+ reactors, each with a capacity of 1,200 MW. This project is notable as the first in the global nuclear sector to be 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 the Akkuyu plant is expected 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 bolster its energy security and reduce 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 development. 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 technical challenges.

By Tamilla Hasanova