Strategic Investment in Peaceful Nuclear Energy
Vladimir Putin, the President of the Russian Federation and Recep Tayyip Erdogan, the President of Turkey remotely through video conferencing joined the groundbreaking ceremony of the first Turkish nuclear power plant Akkuyu.
The Turkish leader noted at the nuclear power plant groundbreaking ceremony that Akkuyu construction is a historical moment both for the development of Turkey and for cooperation with Russia in the energy field. He also emphasized that with the commissioning of the first Akkuyu’s nuclear reactor in 2023 Turkey will join the group of countries that use nuclear energy for peaceful purposes.
The Russian president in turn noted that the Akkuyu nuclear power plant will be secure and environmentally friendly. According to the Russian leader, the construction of the nuclear power plant in Turkey will observe the highest safety standards and the most stringent environmental requirements. “The construction of the Akkuyu nuclear power plant will use the state-of-the-art technologies similar to those in Russia”, said Vladimir Putin.
The intergovernmental cooperation agreement between Turkey and Russia on the Akkuyu nuclear power plant construction and operation in Mersin, the area in southern Turkey on the Mediterranean coast was signed on 12 May 2010.
The project of the first Turkish nuclear power plant includes four power units with WWER-1200 with a total capacity of 4,800 megawatts. The plant is scheduled to be commissioned before 2023.
The construction cost is estimated at more than 20 billion US dollars.
It is expected that the plant will generate electricity for 60 years and will cover about 10% of the total energy consumption in the country.
Today, the share of nuclear power plants in the world's electricity generation rises to 11%. Currently, 61 nuclear reactors with a total installed nuclear capacity of 61,264 megawatts are being built in 16 countries.
To recap, the nuclear power generation industry growth prospects in the global energy balance as well as the role that Russia plays in establishing the future optimal energy system became the topic of a panel discussion at the International Forum ‘Russian Energy Week 2017’.
