Nuclear power will play a key role in Turkey's future energy strategy as the country moves toward achieving supply security while also meeting the challenge of limiting emissions that contribute to climate change.
Every year demand for electricity in Turkey's bustling economy is growing by more than five per cent, yet the country depends on imported resources to meet 73 per cent of its current energy needs. Turkey's new nuclear power programme aims to provide at least 10 per cent of the country's energy by 2023, according to Turkey's Ministry of Energy and Natural Resources.
The energy strategy includes two nuclear power plants with a total of eight reactor units to be in operation by 2028, and a third plant to be under construction by 2023, said Emine Birnur Fertekligil, Turkey's Representative to the IAEA. "The peaceful applications of nuclear technology are very important, not only in the energy field but also in other areas of sustainable development."
Taking the required steps
Turkey has turned to the IAEA for advice on and assistance with taking the steps required for developing a safe nuclear energy programme, Fertekligil said. "As it develops its nuclear power programme, Turkey is committed to moving forward in a safe, secure and safeguarded way," she said.
In 2013, an IAEA Integrated Nuclear Infrastructure Review (INIR) provided a team of international experts to help Turkey assess its readiness for developing a nuclear power programme. The mission involved 25 Turkish institutions and provided recommendations and suggestions, and identified several good practices.
"The 2013 INIR mission provided insightful recommendations that Turkey used to develop a national action plan," said Necati Yamaç, Head, Department of Nuclear Energy Project Implementation, Ministry of Energy and Natural Resources. "Amending or drafting new laws requires a huge amount of preparation, and in the case of Turkey, it has taken around two years. The INIR mission sparked discussions between various ministries and helped us identify new approaches and concepts," he said.
INIR missions are designed to help IAEA Member States measure how far they have progressed towards meeting the requirements for a safe and secure nuclear power programme. They review all facets of a nuclear power programme, from the establishment of a regulatory body, and other legal requirements, to the utility operating the power plant, and the relevant Government stakeholders involved.
A look in the mirror
One of the benefits of an INIR mission is an initial self-evaluation the country undertakes before the mission begins.
Self-evaluation is a useful process because it involves interactions and discussions among the organizations involved in infrastructure development, said Anne Starz, Acting Head of the Nuclear Infrastructure Development Section at the IAEA. For Turkey, there were 25 organizations involved, she added.
This process has "helped us realize how big a role the government still plays even in a BOO [build-own-operate] project," said Yamaç. The BOO approach for developing a nuclear power programme means the host country's plant will be owned entirely by the investors who provide both financing and the technology.
The road toward a nuclear power programme
Turkey's path to its first nuclear power plant has four previous plans to introduce nuclear power in its wake. The first was in the late 1970s, when a site at Akkuyu on the eastern Mediterranean coast was licensed, and the last in 2008 when Turkey issued a request for bids.
As it develops its nuclear power programme, Turkey is committed to moving forward in a safe, secure and safeguarded way.
