Nuclear power plant 'Akkuyu': the zone which is free from short-term political fluctuations

The construction of Turkey's first nuclear power plant 'Akkuyu' on the Russian project, proceeds according to earlier plans, there are no problems with this project, a written statement of the Minister of Energy and Natural Resources of Turkey, Ali Riza Alaboyun, says. This statement is particularly relevant against the background of the statement of the Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan about the possibility of revising of the issue of the construction of 'Akkuyu' because of the Russian operation in Syria.

First Deputy Director General of Block for the development and regional business of Rosatom, Kirill Komarov, proud of the fact that Turkey chose Russian technologies for the construction of country's first nuclear power plant: "It was done on the basis of some arbitrary decision. We participated in this not formalized, but the tender procedure, where the Turkish government had an opportunity to compare different technologies, different financial offers different proposals on the economic aspects of the project. We are won this informal tender and received a right to implement such a project in Turkey. It is a great honor, and certainly, a very big responsibility for us. It seems to me that this deal makes our countries closer to each other and provides a basis for long-term partnership."

The agreement on construction and operation of 'Akkuyu' was signed in 2010. The project of the first Turkish nuclear power plant includes four reactors. The power of each power unit will amount to 1,200 MW. The cost of the project is 20 billion dollars. Nuclear power plant 'Akkuyu' will generate electricity in a continuous mode for 60 years and will become one of the key elements of the unified energy system of Turkey. After commissioning, the station will provide about 7% of the total energy consumption in the country.

Komarov thinks that the construction of nuclear power plant is the project with duration of at least 100 years: "Because this station is to be built about 10 years, then it will operate about  60 years. We are sure that it will be operated in normal mode. As we are confident that will be operated honestly so we will be able to extend terms of its operation with the help of an agreement with the Turkish Nuclear Regulatory for a period of 10-20. Then it will be decommissioned during not less than 20 years. All that we start today, or to be more exact began in 2010. This project will come to an end next century. And it creates a very strong basis for relations between the two countries."

The expert noted that despite the increased political turbulence in the world there are zones, which by definition should be free from short-term political fluctuations: "Nuclear energy is precisely this area, because all decisions are long-term in this sphere. On the other hand, any decision taken in the area of ​​nuclear energy is linked with sensitive concept as security."

According to Komarov, there were no nuclear power plants in Turkey before, that is why not all laws were adopted yet, not all procedures were worked out. Meanwhile, the construction of a nuclear power plant in any country gives impulse to its economic and social development. "I can give these simple figures as an example: a level of localization in the construction of nuclear power plants is 98% in Russia. When we build a nuclear power plant in Russia our can produce 97-98% of goods and services in Russia. The Russian government has made a special research, which shows that each ruble invested at this level of localization in the construction of nuclear power plants gives an immediate effect in the amount of three rubles in the country's GDP. Each work place at the plant gives at a minimum about 10-15 work places in related spheres. About 5,000 people work at the peak of the construction in one block. So an Atomic Power Station is a high-tech product that gives added value to the entire chain: we order machine-building equipment. They orders metallurgists metal. Metallurgists pay coal miners and pay for electricity to produce metal. The entire national industry is involved in this process. It creates a huge number of work places. Of course, we aren’t planning to reach such a high level of localization in Turkey, especially in the implementation of the first block, but we firmly believe that in case of joint and coordinated work up to 30-40% of the project can be implemented by the Turkish contractors."