Türkiye eyes US, South Korea partnership for second nuclear power plant

Türkiye may cooperate with the United States and South Korea on its second planned nuclear power plant, Energy and Natural Resources Minister Alparslan Bayraktar announced on October 2, suggesting that the project could take shape through a trilateral framework.

Türkiye has plans to construct three conventional nuclear power plants. The first, Akkuyu, is currently under construction in the southern province of Mersin by Russia’s state nuclear corporation Rosatom.

Ankara has also been in talks with Russia, China, Canada and South Korea regarding the two additional plants it intends to develop — one in the northern province of Sinop and another in Thrace, in the country’s western region.

Canada’s Candu Energy has also been holding discussions with Türkiye about potential involvement in these projects.

Last month, Türkiye signed a memorandum of understanding with the U.S. on civilian nuclear cooperation during President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan’s meeting with U.S. President Donald Trump at the White House. Bayraktar noted that Erdoğan had also spoken with the leaders of Canada and France about cooperation on both small and large reactors.

The minister said Türkiye would work with the United States on both small modular reactor development and conventional nuclear plant projects.

"We can say the United States and South Korea got added together. Therefore, there may be a trilateral model with Korea-America-Türkiye," Bayraktar said, reiterating that Akkuyu’s first reactor is scheduled to become operational in 2026.

He emphasised that Türkiye seeks access to affordable energy as well as technology transfer and know-how through such investments. He noted that the agreement with Russia on Akkuyu included such provisions, and Ankara would expect similar terms for its second plant.

The Akkuyu facility, a $20 billion project with a planned capacity of 4.8 gigawatts (GW) across four reactors, will make Türkiye one of the few countries to generate civil nuclear energy. It is currently the world’s third-largest nuclear power project under development, according to Global Energy Monitor (GEM). Once fully completed, Akkuyu is expected to supply around 10% of Türkiye’s electricity demand.

The three remaining 1,200 MW VVER-1200 units at Akkuyu are set to come online successively in 2026, 2027, and 2028.

Officials estimate that Türkiye will still require at least eight additional reactors and 5 GW of small modular reactors to bolster its energy security and guarantee affordable electricity. The country’s long-term goal is to reach 7.2 GW of nuclear capacity by 2035 and expand this to 20 GW by 2050.

Bayraktar also highlighted Türkiye’s efforts to utilise its liquified natural gas (LNG) infrastructure for regional energy partnerships. He pointed to the recent use of floating storage regasification unit (FSRU) ships for export purposes, referencing a May agreement with Egypt to time charter these vessels.

He added that Ankara is exploring a similar arrangement with Morocco.

"There is something especially with Egypt now. We are also discussing such a project with Morocco because the summer months are also a period when their gas needs increase, and for us, the summertime is when we consume 30% of our gas," Bayraktar said.

By Tamilla Hasanova