Türkiye issues nationwide call to develop domestic nuclear reactor
ANKARA
Türkiye has launched an initiative calling on universities and researchers to develop an indigenous nuclear reactor, Industry and Technology Minister Mehmet Fatih Kacır has announced, describing it as a major step forward in the country’s nuclear energy program.
“With the ‘Domestic Nuclear Reactor Development Call,’ we aim to strengthen our energy security, reduce external dependence and contribute to our net-zero emissions target by equipping our country with high-technology reactors, developed through the capabilities of Turkish industry, in collaboration with TENMAK, TÜBİTAK institutes and our universities,” Kacır wrote on social media on Sept. 14.
Applications from universities and other researchers will be accepted until Dec. 31.
Vice President Cevdet Yılmaz welcomed the initiative, saying, “The breakthrough we achieved in the defense industry will now be carried into new fields such as energy technologies and the health sector.”
The call comes as Türkiye is only months away from starting operations at the first unit of its inaugural nuclear power plant, Akkuyu, which is currently under construction on the Mediterranean coast.
The $20 billion Akkuyu Nuclear Power Plant, with four 1,200-megawatt reactors totaling 4.8 gigawatts, is being built by Russia’s Rosatom.
Following the commissioning of the first unit, the remaining reactors are scheduled to come online at one-year intervals.
Once fully operational, Akkuyu is expected to supply about 10 percent of Türkiye’s electricity demand. The plant’s planned 60-year operational life could potentially be extended by another 20 years.
