Turkiye has became a state with nuclear energy, albeit with a delay of 60 years, President Recep Tayyip Erdogan said on Thursday at the nuclear fuel loading ceremony at the Akkuyu nuclear power plant.
Russia and Turkiye have officially agreed on the delivery of nuclear fuel to the first unit of the Akkuyu nuclear power plant on Thursday when Alexey Likhachev, the head of the Russian state nuclear corporation Rosatom, handed over the certificate to the Turkish Energy Ministry.
At the fuel loading ceremony, Likhachev asked Russian President Vladimir Putin for a permission to hand over the certificate to Turkish Energy Minister Fatih Donmez. “Of course, I allow it,” Putin said, and Likhachev gave the certificate to Donmez.
"I would like to emphasize that this is a flagship project, it brings both mutual economic benefits, and certainly contributes to strengthening the multifaceted partnership between our two states, which is based on the principles of good neighborliness, mutual respect for and consideration of each other's interests," Putin said during a video conference, devoted to the fuel loading of the NPP.
Erdogan can set goals for himself and vigorously pursue them, Russia supports him, the Russian president addedd.
In his turn, president Erdogan noted that Turkiye will save $1.5 billion per year on gas imports thanks to the Akkuyu nuclear power plant (NPP).
"This project, which will help reduce our natural gas imports by $1.5 billion a year, will also have a positive impact on increasing our national income," Erdogan said at the ceremony.
The Akkuyu Nuclear Power Plant is a Turkish project on the Mediterranean coast, near the town of Akkuyu in the province of Mersin. The project is being developed by the Russian state-owned company Rosatom and is expected to cost around $20 billion.
The plant will consist of four VVER-1200 reactors, each with a capacity of 1,200 MW, and will have a total capacity of 4,800 MW. The construction of the plant began in 2018, and the first reactor is expected to be operational this year.