Alparslan Bayraktar, Turkey’s energy and natural resources minister, said Thursday that the first reactor of the Akkuyu Nuclear Power Plant, being built by Russia’s state energy company Rosatom on the country’s Mediterranean coast, is scheduled to begin electricity production in 2026.
Speaking at the 18th Verona Eurasia Economic Forum in İstanbul, Bayraktar described the project as “a historic turning point in our energy diversification journey.” He said four units are currently under construction at Akkuyu, located in Mersin province, making it one of the largest joint energy projects between Turkey and Russia.
Akkuyu Nuclear Inc., the company overseeing construction, was established in Turkey by Rosatom in 2010 under a build-own-operate model. The $20 billion project will have a total capacity of 4,800 megawatts when all four units are complete, supplying up to 10 percent of Turkey’s electricity needs.
Bayraktar said that cooperation with Russia is part of a broader, long-term partnership covering natural gas and nuclear energy. He also mentioned that Turkey has similar collaborations with Azerbaijan and Iran and is expanding its liquefied natural gas (LNG) infrastructure.
The minister added that Turkey aims to reach 20 gigawatts of nuclear energy capacity by 2050 through future projects planned for the northwestern Thrace region and the Black Sea province of Sinop.