Turkey to commission first nuclear plant by 2028

Turkey is set to commission its first nuclear power plant by 2028, which is expected to meet 10 percent of its power needs.

All four reactors will be fully commissioned simultaneously at the Akkuyu nuclear power plant, Daily Sabah newspaper reported, citing energy and natural resources minister Alparslan Bayraktar.

“We are at the largest nuclear power plant construction site in the world,” the minister said, adding that more than 30,000 employees are working at the site.  

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The first reactor, now 90 percent complete, is expected to be commissioned next year, Bayraktar said.

The Akkuyu nuclear power plant is being constructed by Russia’s state-owned Rosatom in Mersin province on the southern Mediterranean coastline.

Bayraktar reiterated Ankara’s long-term nuclear energy ambitions, aiming to achieve 20,000 megawatts by 2050.

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Turkey aims to generate 7.2 gigawatts (GW) of nuclear capacity by 2035 and 20GW in its energy mix by 2050.

In March, Bayraktar said the country is planning to expand its partnership with Rosatom to develop its second nuclear power plant in Sinop on the southern coast of the Black Sea.

The government is also negotiating with China to establish a third nuclear plant in Thrace province, he said.