New nuclear plant deal on the pipeline

ANKARA - Anatolia News Agency

Competition for Turkey’s nuclear facility bid has increased, Yıldız says. AA photo

Turkey has arrived at the last phase of selecting a firm for the second nuclear power plant that will be constructed in the Black Sea province of Sinop, with the competition split between frontrunners between China, Japan and South Korea.

Energy Minister Taner Yıldız told a panel discussion yesterday that they expected to make their decision by the end of January, unless extra time was needed to consider new offers.

“We see particularly that China, Japan and South Korea have approached our demands differently. I can say that the competition between them has accelerated,” Yıldız said.

He said talks had been held with Japan for the second plant before the Fukushima accident, but the incident had caused the suspension of negotiations and had cost Turkey a year. He stressed that after an agreement is reached with a firm the permission of land research for a third plant in order to compensate the previous time loss will be passed quickly.

‘No dependency’

Yıldız also took the opportunity to remind that Turkey’s installed power in energy had increased by 8.1 percent last year, as the country’s economy grew by 3.2 percent. He said the nuclear power plant deal signed with Russia in 2010 to build the first power plant at Akkuyu in the southern Mersin province means Turkey that will not be dependant on Russia, which is a major natural gas supplier.

The nuclear power plants in Akkuyu and Sinop will generate electricity that could substitute Turkey’s natural gas imports worth $7.2 billion, he said.