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Turkey's Akkuyu Nuclear Power Plant to be operational in 2023: Erdogan

Turkey’s President Recep Tayyip Erdogan expresses his gratitude to his Russian counterpart Vladimir Putin and others for their contribution toward making the Akkuyu project a reality.

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Turkey's President Recep Tayyip Erdogan and his Russian counterpart virtually attend the groundbreaking ceremony for the third phase of the Akkuyu Nuclear Power Plant in Mersin, southern Turkey on March 10, 2021.

Turkey's Akkuyu Nuclear Power Plant will become operational in 2023, when the country will celebrate 100 years since becoming a republic, President Recep Tayyip Erdogan has said.

Attending the groundbreaking ceremony for the third phase of the project along with his Russian counterpart Vladimir Putin via video conference, Erdogan said Turkey aims to add nuclear energy with zero carbon emissions to the country's energy production.

Highlighting the significance of nuclear energy's role in Turkey's energy policy, Erdogan said the share of domestic, renewable energy in the country's installed power has reached the level of 63.7 percent.

Turkey's discovery of 405 billion cubic meters of natural gas in the Black Sea is an important step toward energy independence, he noted.

The Akkuyu Nuclear Power Plant will produce 35 billion kilowatt-hours of electricity annually and it will meet around 10 percent of Turkey’s power needs.

The Akkuyu project is being equipped with the most advanced security systems and it is being ensured that it complies with International Atomic Energy Agency standards.

New era begins

A new era has begun with the Turkey-Russia Akkuyu Nuclear Power Plant joint project, said Russian President Putin in his remarks.

The joint project will significantly contribute toward helping Turkey achieve energy security and it will further strengthen the country's economy, he said.

Putin said the two countries are doing their best to make the project environmentally friendly.