Akkuyu nuclear plant’s first reactor almost ready

Readiness for the start is over 90% for the first reactor of the Akkuyu Nuclear Power Plant, Turkey's Energy Minister Alparslan Bayraktar said.

"Construction of our first nuclear reactors is underway at present. Four nuclear reactors of the Akkuyu NPP are being concurrently built in Mersin. The nuclear construction site in Mersin is the world’s largest NPP building site. The progress for the first reactor is over 90%," Bayraktar said.

He expressed hope they will start generating first electric power there in 2025, and will meet 10% of Turkey’s electricity needs from this NPP alone on account of commissioning three remaining reactors by 2028.

The Akkuyu NPP "is not the only project in the nuclear sphere Turkey is focusing on" in the context of development of its energy strategy, the minister said.

"We seek after increasing the total capacity of nuclear power plants to the volume of 20,000 MW by 2050. This is the long-term goal. Certainly, this means not only conventional NPPs, with two more planned in Sinop and Thrace, but small modular reactors also," Bayraktar said.