Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan has announced his country’s entry into the ranks of nuclear-powered nations, after the first delivery of fuel to the Akkuyu power plant on Thursday. The facility is Türkiye’s largest joint project with Russia.
“With the delivery of nuclear fuels by air and sea to our power plant, Akkuyu has now gained the status of a nuclear plant,” Erdogan proclaimed during a ceremony that he and Russian President Vladimir Putin attended virtually.
Noting that there are 422 nuclear reactors in operation in the world and 57 under construction, Erdogan praised “how meticulously our engineers and workers” labored to complete the $20 billion, 4,800 megawatt plant, which survived a pair of devastating earthquakes in February without sustaining any damage.
The plant is “our biggest joint investment with Russia,” Erdogan stated, adding that it will be scaled up to full operation by 2028. By then, it will supply 10% of the country’s energy needs, lessening Türkiye’s reliance on imported fossil fuels.