TURKIYE’S first nuclear power plant received its first shipment of fuel from Russia.
This nuclear plant is apparently Ankara’s largest joint project with Russia and believed as a flagship project in Turkiye-Russia relations.
Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan and Russian President Vladimir Putin virtually attended the opening ceremony of the Akkuyu Power Plant, Turkiye’s largest joint project with Russia.
Erdogan announced Turkiye’s entry to the ranks of nuclear-powered nations following the first delivery of fuel to the said power plant on Thursday.
Erdogan said that Akkuyu has now gained the status of a nuclear plant with the delivery of nuclear fuels by air and sea and that Turkiye has risen to the league of countries with nuclear power in the world, albeit after a 6-decade delay.
The Akkuyu project began its construction in 2018, with work carried out by Rosatom, a subsidiary of Russia’s state nuclear energy firm.
Reports say there are around 30,000 employees on the site during its construction.
Erdogan said the European Union gets 25% of its electricity from nuclear sources stressing that there are 422 nuclear reactors operating across the world, and 57 of them are still under construction.
Turkiye President Erdogan Recep Tayyip further said,
“Last year, the European Commission accepted nuclear energy as ‘green energy’ and eliminated the hesitations on this issue. With Akkuyu, we made our country a part of these developments”.
The Turkish president said all units of the power plant will be put into service gradually until 2028 and that Turkiye will meet 10% of its electricity needs from the nuclear plant once all reactors are operational.
Moreover, the Akkuyu project, which will contribute to reducing Türkiye’s natural gas imports by 1.5 billion dollars annually, will also positively affects the increase in the national income.
The plant, which will start generating power in late 2023, is expected to have an installed capacity of 4,800 megawatts and four reactors.
Meanwhile Putin, for his part, hailed the Akkuyu power plant as a flagship project in Turkish-Russian relations.
Russian President Vladimir Putin said,
“I emphasize this is a flagship project. It brings both mutual economic benefits and, of course, helps strengthen the multifaceted partnership between our two states, which is based on the principles of good neighborliness, mutual respect and consideration of each other’s interest”.
Putin also hailed what he describes as ‘very symbolic’ that Turkiye is joining the club of industrially and technologically advanced states as it celebrates its 100th Anniversary of the Foundation of the Republic.
The Russian president also noted that the construction of the station and preparation for operations are carried out in strict compliance with the rules and recommendations of the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA).
He also reiterated IAEA Chief Rafael Grossi’s remarks during the ceremony that the multi-level security system provided for Akkuyu is among the most modern and reliable in the world.
Putin also praised Erdogan, saying that the implementation of the project would be impossible without him.
Aside from the Akkuyu project, Putin said Russia will certainly continue to provide Turkiye with energy sources, primarily natural gas, as both countries intend to develop trade and economic relations further.
“This is an expensive product today and will only rise in price, while Türkiye will enjoy the advantage of its own nuclear energy, and nuclear energy, as you know, is one of the cheapest,” President Putin said.
It can be noted that Turkiye refused to impose sanctions on Russia after RIT launched its offensive in Ukraine in February 2022, but instead, Russia and Turkiye increased bilateral trade, and in August 2022, both countries agreed that Ankara would buy natural gas from Moscow in rubles.
