Türkiye says Russia interested in participating in new nuclear power projects

Türkiye's Minister of Energy and Natural Resources Alparslan Bayraktar recently stated that Russia has expressed interest in participating in Türkiye's new nuclear power plant projects, including the Sinop nuclear power plant on the Black Sea coast and a nuclear power project in the northwestern Thrace region. South Korea, Canada, and China are also in contact with Türkiye regarding nuclear power cooperation.

In an interview on September 6 local time, Bayraktar said Russia hopes to apply the experience and personnel accumulated during the construction of the Akkuyu nuclear power plant to the Sinop and Thrace nuclear power projects. He stated that in addition to Russia, Türkiye is also discussing cooperation on other nuclear power projects with Canada, China, and South Korea, but no agreement has yet been reached on new cooperation arrangements. The Turkish side plans to make decisions in the coming months and complete the relevant legal procedures.

The Akkuyu nuclear power plant, located in Mersin Province in southern Türkiye, is being built by Russia's State Atomic Energy Corporation (Rosatom) and is Türkiye's first nuclear power plant. In addition to the Akkuyu nuclear power plant, Türkiye plans to build eight more reactors, distributed across the Sinop and Thrace regions, with four units planned for each region.

Previously, during a meeting between Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan and Russian President Vladimir Putin, the willingness to continue advancing nuclear energy cooperation was also expressed. Erdoğan stated that the two sides would take further steps toward building new nuclear power plants based on the cooperation established through the Akkuyu project.

South Korea is also seeking to participate in the Sinop nuclear power project. During South Korean President Lee Jae-myung's visit to Türkiye last November, Korea Electric Power Corporation (KEPCO) and Türkiye's Nuclear Energy Company (TÜNAŞ) signed a memorandum of understanding on nuclear energy cooperation, covering early-stage cooperation matters such as reactor technology and site assessment. The South Korean side stated at the time that the memorandum laid the foundation for South Korea's participation in the Sinop nuclear power project.

Bayraktar also mentioned that Türkiye is advancing the development of small modular reactors, with the goal of achieving technological self-sufficiency in this field and developing export capabilities for small modular reactors by 2030. Last June, he visited Romania's Cernavodă nuclear power plant, which uses Canadian CANDU reactor technology, and stated that Türkiye is evaluating technology routes and potential partners for new nuclear power projects beyond the Akkuyu plant.