The Akkuyu Nuclear Power Plant (NPP) will boast four reactors and will supply 10% of Türkiye's electricity consumption, Energy and Natural Resources Minister Alparslan Bayraktar said.
"We want to commission the first reactor this year. Many direct and indirect steps are being taken to prevent the construction of this plant. We are continuing with determination," Bayraktar said.
The plant will ultimately have a total installed capacity of 4,800 megawatts. Estimated to cost around $20 billion, the NPP is expected to be fully operational by 2028. It is part of Türkiye's ambitious plan to triple its renewable energy capacity by 2053 as it strives to become a carbon-neutral economy.
According to Bayraktar, about 30,000 people are working at the site.
The country's ultimate goal is to increase electricity production capacity from nuclear energy to 20 gigawatts, nearly four times what the Akkuyu plant could generate.
Among other efforts, Bayraktar underlined that Türkiye would soon become a country that produces energy using renewable, domestic resources and nuclear power.
"When we achieve these, Türkiye will truly make a revolution in energy and leap forward in energy, and these energy initiatives will directly impact the economy. We will be a Türkiye that has progressed much better in many areas," Bayraktar said.
Akkuyu, Türkiye's first nuclear power plant, is located in Mersin province on the southern Mediterranean coastline.
