site.btaRussia, Turkiye Planning Joint Exercises on Security of First Turkish Nuclear Plant

Joint Russian-Turkish exercises on plant security is to be held at the site of Turkiye's first nuclear power plant, Akkuyu, which is being built in Mersin Province by Russian company Rosatom. This was stated by Russian Emergencies Minister Alexander Kurenkov in a conversation with Turkish Ambassador to Moscow Tanju Bilgic, Turkish Radio and Television Corporation TRT Haber reported on Thursday.  The conversation was on issues related to the construction of Akkuyu and bilateral emergency cooperation.

The aim of the joint exercises, scheduled to take place next year, will be to ensure the safety of personnel at the nuclear power plant and the population in the area.

"During the exercises, Russian and Turkish experts will test models for extinguishing fires and dealing with emergencies caused by the spread of radioactive materials," the Russian Minister said.

In his words, the construction of Turkiye's first nuclear power plant is nearing completion, and the project will bring Turkiye and Russia closer together.

Bilateral cooperation in a number of areas was discussed during the meeting, with special emphasis on the work of Russian firefighting aviation in Turkiye.

Construction of the Akkuyu nuclear power plant began in 2017, and its four reactors are planned to be fully operational in 2028. Turkiye's first nuclear power plant is expected to meet about 10% of the country's electricity demand.