On Friday, Russian Deputy Prime Minister Alexander Novak said that during the recent bilateral talks in the Russian city of Sochi, Erdogan and Russian President Vladimir Putin discussed in detail the construction of Akkuyu NPP alongside the TurkStream gas pipeline.
"Certainly, it is impossible not to discuss such issue. We have said that Akkuyu NPP is particularly important for our country's energy strategy. Our goal of commissioning the first Akkuyu reactor in 2023 persists. We have discussed these issues again in our talks with the Russian side... Now, when I will visit our drilling vessel Abdulhamid Han in Mersin-Tasucu next week, I will go to Akkuyu from there on the same day. I will personally supervise the operations at Akkuyu with my delegation. After that, I will brief Mr. Putin about the situation," Erdogan told reporters on the plane upon his return from Sochi.
Russia and Turkey sealed an agreement on the construction of Akkuyu NPP in the Turkish southern province of Mersin in 2010. It will be the first NPP built in Turkey. Russian atomic agency Rosatom began the construction of the 4,800MW Akkuyu NPP in 2018. The construction of the fourth and final reactor officially kicked off on Thursday.