Turkish official affirms that the country is working to enhance its energy security

Istanbul, Sept 16 (KUNA) -- Salih Sari, Director General of the Nuclear Energy Department at Turkey's Ministry of Energy and Natural Resources, confirmed on Wednesday that his country is making efforts to enhance its energy security.

Speaking at the 70th General Conference of the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) held in Vienna, Austria, Sari stated that Turkey's national energy strategy is based on sustainable development and energy security, alongside a commitment to achieving net-zero emissions by 2053.

He explained that electricity demand in Turkey is expected to rise significantly in the coming decades, noting that the country is working to increase and diversify its power generation capacities, including nuclear and renewable energy, to meet this demand.

Sari indicated that construction of the first unit of the Akkuyu Nuclear Power Plant in Mersin Province, with a total capacity of 4.8 gigawatts, has been completed, and commissioning works have reached their final stage.

He added that Turkey hopes to join the ranks of countries generating electricity from nuclear energy this year, while preparations continue to add new nuclear capacities.

He continued, "We aim to reach a nuclear capacity of at least 20 gigawatts by 2050, including 5 gigawatts from small modular reactors."

Turkey launched the first phase of the Akkuyu plant in April 2023. It is the country's first nuclear power plant and one of its largest investments.

Construction work continues at the plant under an agreement signed between Turkey and Russia in 2010, with all units scheduled to be fully operational by 2028.

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