Nuclear power in Turkey

[6] Turkey's nuclear activities started soon after the first International Conference on the Peaceful Uses of Atomic Energy, held in Geneva in September 1955.

[7] As stated by the World Nuclear Association, the first endeavour was a feasibility report in 1970 involving a 300 MWe facility.

Turkey suspended work on nuclear plants due to the Chernobyl disaster that occurred in the Soviet Union in 1986.

The final bid deadline was in 1997, but the government postponed its several times, until the preparations were scrapped due to financial difficulties.

In his statement, Güler stated that the technical investigations on nuclear power plants are continuing and that negotiations will be held soon.

[10] In 2006, the northern Turkish city of Sinop, located near the Black Sea, was designated to host a commercial nuclear power plant.

[11] The bill called for the establishment of requirements for the design and operation of the plants by the Turkish Atomic Energy Authority (TAEK).

It enables the government to grant purchase guarantees to firms for the total energy produced in nuclear power plants.

Turkey started to be subjected to the Paris Convention on Third Party Liability in the Field of Nuclear Energy.

Although the review was positive, the IAEA advised Turkey to complete the national nuclear energy strategy and to improve the regulating agency.

[5] In 2007 a bill concerning construction and operation of nuclear power plants and the sale of their electricity was passed by parliament.

[15] The International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) has recommended "enacting a law on nuclear energy which establishes an independent regulatory body and putting a national policy in place that covers a wide range of issues, as well as further developing the required human resources".

[5] According to a scholar, providing concessions for nuclear power plants via international agreements rather than competitive tenders means such projects cannot be challenged in the constitutional court.

[22] In May 2010, Russia and Turkey signed an agreement that a subsidiary of Rosatom would build, own, and operate a power plant in Akkuyu comprising four 1,200 MWe VVER1200 units.

[24] While Turkey's nuclear journey, which started with Adnan Menderes in 1956, has been subject to obstacles for approximately 70 years due to different reasons, this national ideal; Akkuyu Nuclear Power Plant, which started in the 1970s and has not progressed for more than 40 years, was established within the scope of the National Energy Strategy put forward by Berat Albayrak, when he was the Minister of Energy and Natural Resources in 2017.

In fact, the production license of Akkuyu Nuclear Power Plant was prepared and construction permit was granted in October 2017.