Bayraktar made this statement during his attendance at the “Verona” Eurasian Economic Forum held in Istanbul, explaining that Turkey is working on building four nuclear reactors at the “Akkuyu” plant in partnership with Russia, and that this project is considered the largest in Turkey’s history.
The Minister pointed out that the start-up of the first reactor in 2026 is in line with the predetermined timeline for the project, stressing that cooperation with Russia in the nuclear energy sector is of a long-term strategic nature and includes technology transfer, personnel qualification, and industrial sector development.
Bayraktar also revealed Turkey’s future goals in the field of nuclear energy, saying that the country seeks to increase its production capacity to 20 gigawatts by 2050, through the construction of large plants and small modular reactors, with the aim of meeting its increasing electricity needs.
The “Akkuyu” plant is located in Mersin province in southern Turkey and is the country’s first nuclear power plant. It includes four power units with Russian VVER-1200 Generation III+ reactors, each unit with a capacity of 1200 megawatts.
The plant is expected to produce about 35 billion kilowatt-hours per year after its full operation is completed, which will cover about 10% of Turkey’s electricity needs.
