Turkey’s First Nuclear Plant Likely to Be Delayed to 2022

World | March 23, 2015, Monday // 17:29|  views

How the Akkuyu plant could eventually look with four AES-2006 units. Credit: Rosatom

Turkey’s plans to bring online its first nuclear power plant in 2019 are likely to be pushed at least three years back, according to a senior Turkish energy official, Reuters reported on Monday.

With ground-breaking for Akkuyu nuclear power plant (NPP) yet to take place, the project would not be online before at least 2022, the unnamed official said.

"The first reactor can be online at least seven years after the ground-breaking so the 2019-2020 date is impossible," the newswire quoted the official as saying.

Turkey gave the environmental approval for the construction of Akkuyu NPP in December last year. Ankara commissioned Russia’s Rosatom to implement the USD 20 B project in 2013. Rosatom initially pledged to have the first of the four reactors at Akkuyu ready by 2019.

According to Rosatom Overseas vice president Milko Kovachev, however, the project would be completed on time.

"The program is clear, the dates are set. I believe that our commitment will be fully met as it is planned," Kovachev told Reuters on the sidelines of a nuclear summit in Istanbul.

In addition to regulatory obstacles Russia's economic woes prompted by falling oil prices and western sanctions over Ukraine may also have strained Rosatom's finances.

In a related development, Nikkei Asian Review reported last week that Turkey plans to place four nuclear reactors into service by 2028 under a commercial agreement with Japanese companies concluded in 2013, details of which were recently revealed.

Japan's Mitsubishi Heavy Industries, trading house Itochu and France’s GDF Suez are expected to hold a combined share of 51% in a company that will be set up to build and operate a nuclear plant in the Black Sea city of Sinop, the article read.

 

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Tags: turkey, nuclear, Akkuyu, Rosatom, Russia

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