Türkiye eyes first small nuclear reactor by mid-2030s: Minister

NEW YORK

Türkiye aims to bring its first small modular nuclear reactor into operation in the first half of the 2030s, Energy and Natural Resources Minister Alparslan Bayraktar said.

Speaking after an energy roundtable at the 19th Türkiye Investment Conference in New York, Bayraktar said the government was preparing regulations that could offer incentives and exemptions to investors in small modular reactors (SMRs).

“There is a global race in this field,” he said, adding that Türkiye wanted to participate in developing the technology and draw on its existing nuclear industry capabilities.

Bayraktar said Türkiye Nuclear Energy Inc. (TÜNAŞ) had signed an agreement with the U.S. Trade and Development Agency on SMRs. The grant agreement covers assessments of the technical, economic and regulatory feasibility of new nuclear technologies.

He said the cooperation would also extend to Central Asia and Turkic republics.

Türkiye is exploring nuclear cooperation with Canada and plans to sign an agreement with French energy company EDF, Bayraktar said. Such partnerships would cover operational and safety experience as well as investment.

Describing nuclear power as essential to electrification, he said Türkiye wanted to bring projects into service as soon as possible. He projected energy demand from data centers in Türkiye at between 5 and 10 terawatt-hours around 2035.

Bayraktar also said electrifying transport was essential to reducing dependence on imported energy as the growing number of vehicles increased fuel demand.

Türkiye would need 13 million electric vehicles by 2035 to manage rising oil demand, supported by at least 1.3 million charging stations, he said.

He put electricity grid investment needs through 2035 at $50 billion for distribution and $30 billion for transmission.