Türkiye plans commissioning of Akkuyu NPP's 1st reactor next year

The commissioning of the first reactor of Türkiye’s first nuclear power plant is expected next October, Energy and Natural Resources Minister Alparslan Bayraktar said Thursday, adding that talks on second and third plants are underway.

Discussing Türkiye’s energy agenda in a televised interview with private broadcaster NTV, Bayraktar replied to questions regarding the commissioning of the Akkuyu Nuclear Power Plant (NPP), built in the southern city of Mersin, which received the initial batch of nuclear fuel in a ceremony earlier this year, Daily Sabah reports.

“We have a target date, hopefully, next year, which is the 101st anniversary of our republic. We have a target date of Oct. 29, 2024. For this purpose, approximately 30,000 workers, subcontractors and the Russian company are working intensively day and night,” Bayraktar said.

“I hope that next year we will achieve our goal, commission the first reactor and provide the first nuclear electricity to our country," he added.

Bayraktar emphasized the goal of putting into operation more than 20,000 megawatts of nuclear energy capacity in the next 30 years.

He also indicated plans to start work on nuclear power plants in the Black Sea province of Sinop and the eastern Thrace region after Akkuyu.

Regarding negotiations with China for the nuclear power plant planned in the Thrace region, Bayraktar mentioned that significant progress had been made in discussions, and agreements had been reached on some points.

"We want to turn this into an agreement within the next few years. If we cannot reach an agreement, we as Türkiye need to explore different alternatives because, in the end, we need to reach (that) goal of 20,000 megawatts of nuclear power," he said.