Ankara wants 5,000 MW of SMR capacity by 2050
Discussions are continuing between Turkey and US-based nuclear reactor company TerraPower, founded by Bill Gates, to incorporate small modular reactors (SMRs) in Ankara’s broader 2050 nuclear energy target of 20,000 MW of installed capacity, Turkish energy and natural resources minister Alparslan Bayraktar said.
Speaking at the 15th Turkey Energy Summit in Istanbul, Bayraktar said Turkey plans to reach at least 5,000 MW of SMR capacity as part of its long-term plan.
That plan includes 12 large-scale reactors, including four already under construction at Akkuyu and an additional eight units at Sinop and and Igneada.
Akkuyu is on the Mediterranean coast on the southern province of Mersin, Sinop is on the Black Sea in northern Turkey and Igneada is in Thrace, also on the Black Sea, not far from the Bulgarian border.
Akkuyu will have four Russia-supplied VVER-1200 pressurised water reactor units. Unit 1 was originally expected to enter commercial operation by the end of 2025 with the remaining units coming online by 2028. Bayraktar said recently that the first unit at Akkuyu is scheduled to begin commercial operation next year.
TerraPower confirmed last year that it had held informal talks with countries in Europe, including Turkey.
TerraPower is developing the Natrium technology, which combines a 345-MW sodium-cooled fast reactor with a molten salt-based storage system, capable of increasing output to 500 MW during peak demand.
The company is building its first plant at a former coal site in Kemmerer, Wyoming. TerraPower began non-nuclear construction activities at the site in 2024.
