Minister: Türkiye to set up third nuclear plant in Thrace region

Energy and Natural Resources Minister Fatih Dönmez said that after Akkuyu and Sinop, a new is being sought for a possible third nuclear power plant in Thrace, Türkiye.

Since 2010, in Akkuyu in the south of the country, Türkiye cooperating with Russia to build its first Nuclear power plant, which is expected to produce around 10 percent of Türkiye's electricity and intends to open in 2023.

Furthermore, talks are underway with Rosatom to build another powerplant in Sinop, at the Black Sea. These two plants are supposed to produce a fifth of Türkiye's electricity needs.

Dönmez said that nuclear energy is in demand as a new alternative clean energy source both in Europe and many developed countries, as it would provide zero emissions.

Locations scouting is currently underway in the western Thrace region in Türkiye, he added. Several NGOs worldwide counter these claims that nuclear energy is clean as it has heavy environmental impacts.

According to a recent study by think-thank Ember, wind power and solar power can be the answer to the country's decarbonization and energy independence. Türkiye has a high potential for becoming a solar power hub, with the country's high average of 7.5 hours of daily sunshine.

Türkiye on the COP26, the UN climate summit, held last year in Dublin, ratified the Paris Agreement, which means that the country needs to reach zero emissions by 2053. Currently, COP27 is underway in Sharm-el-Sheikh. According to media reports, President Erdoğan will not attend the summit, and the country will be represented by the Minister of Environment, Urbanization and Climate Change, Murat Kurum. (WM/VK)