Russian-Turkish cooperation on Akkuyu to last 100 years

Cooperation on the Akkuyu nuclear power plant will link Russia and Turkey in the nuclear sphere for the next hundred years, the first deputy head of Rosatom State Corporation Kirill Komarov said at the Russian-Turkish public forum.

"The Russian side realizes all responsibility for the implementation of this project. It is not just a new source necessary for the development of the country, it is a project that gives impetus to improving the national infrastructure," RIA Novosti cited him as saying.

According to Komarov, the choice of Russia as a party in charge of construction is a great honor. The task of Moscow, therefore, is not only to build the most safe, modern and efficient nuclear power plant, but also to build appropriate links with the Turkish society.

Ambassador-At-Large at the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of the Russian Federation, Eleonora Mitrofanova, drew attention to Russia's interest in the successful implementation of strategic energy projects, which, in addition to the construction of Akkuyu, include the construction of the Turkish Stream gas pipeline.

The executive vice-president of NewTech Services, professor of the Gubkin Russian State University of Oil and Gas, Valery Bessel, told Vestnik Kavkaza that Russia is extremely interested in the Akkuyu nuclear power plant project, as ше will strengthen its ties with Turkey. "These links should be built strategically, and any joint project uniting us for many years is very important for us. We also have no other reliable ways to sell gas to Europe along the southern route except Turkey. So of course, Turkey is our strategic partner, "he said.

Valery Bessel expressed confidence in economic profitability of Akkuyu for Russia. "I am confident that Rosatom has calculated all the details, and this investment project will bring economic benefits to Russia. The nuclear energy market is not so big now, it is a field for cooperation, not confrontation. After Germany made a decision to withdraw from nuclear projects and problems at the Japanese Fukushima Daiichi nuclear power plant, the growth of energy production at nuclear power plants has drastically decreased, so any nuclear project is very important for Rosatom and Russia," the professor of the Rostov State University of Oil and Gas pointed out.

The former chairman of the State Duma Committee for Energy, Ivan Grachyov, told about the unusual way of Rosatom's work in the implementation of the project. "The project is special, because Rosatom will remains in the stake and receive profit from the work of the nuclear power plant for a very long time." If Turkey remains a stable country for the next 50-100 years, the project will pay off. But if various conflicts in the republic further develop, it may turn out that they will have to withdraw huge amounts of money from the Turkish electricity market, since the amount of crediting for Akkuyu exceeds $10 billion, "he said.

An associate professor of the Faculty of International Relations of the TOBB University of Economics and Technology (Ankara), Togrul Ismail, stressed that it is extremely important for Turkey to build the first nuclear power plant. "In my opinion, the implementation of this project is one of the priorities in the energy sector of the country. It is also important that Russian specialists will build the NPP, because Russia will not only build a power plant, but train our power engineers and support Turkey in terms of developing the latest technologies," he said.

According to the expert, the construction of the Akkuyu nuclear power plant finds the most powerful support among the citizens of Turkey. "Only those associated with various ecological organizations are against the construction," Togrul Ismail concluded.