Turkish energy watchdog gives 49-year power generation license to Akkuyu nuclear company

ANKARA

Turkey’s energy watchdog has given a power generation license to Akkuyu Nuclear JSC for a 49-year period, starting as of June 15. 

In a statement, the Energy Market Regulatory Authority (EPDK) reclled that it had issued a preliminary license for power generation to the company for a three-year period. 

Saying the company fulfilled its responsibilities in this period, the regulator added: “A 49-year power generation license for the Akkuyu Power Plant will become operational as of June 15.”

The power plant is slated to meet some 6-7 percent of Turkey’s power needs when it becomes fully operational, said the authority, Reuters reported. 

The first unit of the power plant with a planned 4,800 MW installed power capacity was slated to become operational by 2025 according to the agreement, but the company has vowed to complete the work by Oct. 29, 2023, the 100th anniversary of the establishment of the Turkish Republic, read the statement. 

Turkey and Russia signed an intergovernmental agreement to build and operate a nuclear power plant in Mersin’s Akkuyu in 2010.