US and Turkish Refining Giant Sign Agreement to Evaluate SMR Feasibility

Recently, the U.S. Trade and Development Agency (USTDA) signed an agreement with Tüpraş, Turkey's largest refiner, under which the U.S. side will fund a feasibility study to evaluate the technical and economic feasibility of using small modular reactors (SMRs) to supply electricity, high-grade industrial heat, and steam to the refinery.

It is reported that the study will conduct a comprehensive assessment of multiple leading U.S. reactor technologies, covering technical and economic feasibility, environmental performance, regulatory compliance, and industrial application scenarios, and will develop a specific roadmap for Tüpraş's subsequent decision on whether to deploy SMRs. USTDA Deputy Director Thomas Hardy stated that the project will issue a public tender aimed at helping Turkey reduce its dependence on imported energy while opening up export markets for U.S. nuclear suppliers.

Previously, in September 2026, USTDA signed a cooperation agreement with Turkey's state-owned nuclear energy company (TÜNAŞ), also aimed at promoting the alignment of U.S. advanced reactor designs with the needs of Turkey's national power grid. The Turkish government has made nuclear energy a core strategic priority, planning to deploy 20,000 megawatts of nuclear power capacity by 2050, including at least 5,000 megawatts of SMR capacity.

Currently, Turkey's first nuclear power plant, the Akkuyu Nuclear Power Plant, is being built by Russia's State Atomic Energy Corporation (Rosatom) using VVER reactor technology. Turkey's active introduction of USTDA-funded research indicates that while advancing large-scale nuclear power construction, it is accelerating the diversification of nuclear suppliers and application scenarios by introducing emerging technologies such as SMRs.