Türkiye’s Akkuyu nuclear plant to launch within year, Russia's Deputy PM says

The first power unit of Türkiye’s Akkuyu Nuclear Power Plant is expected to be commissioned within a year, according to Russian Deputy Prime Minister Alexander Novak.

He made the remarks in a conversation with Turkish media following a meeting of the Russian-Turkish Intergovernmental Commission on Trade and Economic Cooperation held in Moscow on June 27.

“I think the first unit of the plant will be commissioned in the near future, within a year. We attach particular importance to the implementation of this project. For us, this is a key project in the field of cooperation in the field of nuclear energy and peaceful atom,” Novak said. He also noted that the construction of Akkuyu is proceeding according to schedule.

On the subject of possible cooperation with Türkiye in building a second nuclear power plant, Novak said, “The economic feasibility of building another plant is being studied.” He added, “This work is being carried out in the interests of the Turkish side as part of the search for mutually acceptable economic models. As Russia, we will be very happy to participate in the implementation of this project.”

The Russian Deputy Prime Minister also spoke about expanding cooperation with Türkiye in oil and gas supplies, noting that Russia has delivered significant volumes of oil, petroleum products, and coal to Türkiye, and that “Türkiye is a transit country for supplies to Southeast Europe.”

“We are cooperating successfully. We are currently implementing large-scale joint projects. These include the Turkish Stream, which has two lines — one for supplies to the domestic market and one for the European market. We look forward to continuing our long-term cooperation in the field of natural gas supplies and are ready to expand it,” Novak said.

Akkuyu is Türkiye’s first nuclear power plant, with Rosatom involved in its construction. The plant will have four power units in total, each with a capacity of 1,200 megawatts. The total cost of constructing the nuclear power plant is estimated at $22 billion.

Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan previously stated that test electricity production at the first power unit of the Akkuyu nuclear power plant is scheduled for the end of this year.

By Tamilla Hasanova