site.btaTurkiye Plans to Build Eight Large-scale Nuclear Reactors in Addition to Four Under Construction at Akkuyu NPP

Turkish Energy Minister Alparslan Bayraktar announced in Paris that Turkiye plans to build eight large-scale nuclear reactors in Sinop and the Thrace region (Igneada) in addition to the four units under construction at the Akkuyu NPP, state TV broadcaster TRT Haber reported.

Bayraktar said he had met with representatives of South Korea and Canada and cooperation with these countries is on the agenda. He told reporters that Ankara aims to build eight additional large-scale nuclear reactors, including four in Sinop on the Black Sea coast and four in the Thrace region.

Turkiye is building its first nuclear power plant in Akkuyu, Mersin Province (Southeastern Turkiye), in partnership with Russia's Rosatom State Atomic Energy Corporation. The country also plans to build nuclear power plants using small modular reactors in Sinop and Thrace. The aim is for Turkiye's nuclear power generation capacity to reach 20,000 megawatts by 2050.

Bayraktar told journalists that talks on nuclear energy with various countries are under way. French companies are expected to participate in supplying equipment for the Akkuyu Nuclear Power Plant and to conduct independent tests of the facility. Turkiye has also discussed with France the construction of a new nuclear power plant or a facility using small modular reactors.

Turkiye sources energy from a wide range of suppliers and is not currently experiencing issues with procurement, Bayraktar said. According to the energy minister, turbulence on global oil and gas markets shows that Ankara's energy strategy is correct, but its implementation must be accelerated. Bayraktar expects that energy consumption will increase alongside economic growth and population expansion.

The energy minister said there are 400,000 electric vehicles in the country, with the goal of increasing their number to 6 million by 2035, which will require the construction of additional charging stations.

On the sidelines of the second Nuclear Energy Summit in Paris, Turkiye's energy minister held bilateral meetings, including one with International Atomic Energy Agency Director General Rafael Mariano Grossi.