Akkuyu Nuclear Power Plant: Opportunities and challenges for Turkey

As of 27 April 2023, “fresh nuclear fuel” to be used in energy production is being brought to the Akkuyu Nuclear Power Plant, which is under construction in Mersin. Thus, the facility will have the status of “nuclear power plant” (NPP) and has been opened in technical terms. The next step is to switch to the testing phase for energy production. To decrease dependence on imported energy  Turkey may have taken an important step in energy transformation with Akkuyu NPP. It aims to ensure energy supply security and reduce its dependence on imported energy. According to the Ministry of Energy and Natural Resources, Akkuyu NPP will reduce Turkey’s dependence on natural gas and coal, which imports almost all of the natural gas and liquid fuels used for its electricity needs, and approximately 30 percent of coal fuels. It will also play an important role in bridging the current energy deficit. More of a necessity than a choice  Akkuyu NPP is more of a necessity than a choice for Türkiye. Authorised names who made a statement on the subject state that Akkuyu NPP alone will meet approximately 10 percent of Turkey’s electricity needs.  Speaking about the facility, which has a total cost of approximately $20 billion, Research Director Aaron Stein from the Foreign Policy Research Institute think-tank uses the following expressions for Akkuyu NPP: “A Russian nuclear power plant built by a Russian company with Turkish workers in the south of Turkey, with provisions to take over.”  With this, the “Build-Operate-Own” model is being implemented for the first time in the nuclear industry. It is stated that with the completion of the project, Turkey will pay Russia 12.35 cents of a dollar per kilowatt hour for 15 years. Second facility is also intended  The war, which started with Russia’s invasion of Ukraine on 24 February 2022, opened a new page in Moscow’s relations with the world.  In this case, major energy projects, which are on the agenda of Akkuyu NPP, Ankara and Moscow, maintain their importance even more. President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan has also met his Russian counterpart Putin in the past months and said that negotiations on the construction of a second nuclear facility in Sinop are ongoing. Opposition’s stand Presidential Candidate and CHP Chairman Kemal Kılıçdaroğlu, in a statement he made in 2022, said, “The most serious danger ahead is Akkuyu. The industrialist will use energy three times more expensive.” Kılıçdaroğlu also emphasised that Turkey should invest in renewable energy such as solar and wind. The Green Left Party, another representative of the opposition in Turkey, also said “no to the nuclear power plant”. The writer is a correspondent and an author who works in Turkish media. He graduated from Istanbul University, Faculty of Communication.  He is interested in foreign policy issues, especially in the Middle East, Eastern Mediterranean, Atlantic and Eurasia. Views expressed are personal.  Read all the  Latest News ,  Trending News ,  Cricket News ,  Bollywood News , India News  and  Entertainment News  here. Follow us on  Facebook,  Twitter and  Instagram.