Rosatom chief: Akkuyu construction has started!!!

[Pax Ottomana]

Russia's State Atomic Energy Corporation (Rosatom) started general construction works at the future site of the Akkuyu Nuclear Power Plant, head of the company Alexei Likhachev said Tuesday.

Speaking to journalists at the 61st regular session of the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) general conference, Likhachev said that work on Turkey's first nuclear power plant project was underway, including the hydraulic facilities.

"Provided that we are working directly with the regulator in Turkey, we hope to get the license this year, but the construction works are already underway, so we are optimistic about the future," Likhachev said.

Earlier this month, Rosatom announced that the construction of Akkuyu Nuclear Power Plan (NPP) could begin in early March 2018, at the end of the first quarter.

The first agreement on Akkuyu Nuclear Power Plant was signed with Russia in 2010, when it was decided that Russia's state atomic energy corporation, Rosatom, would construct the facility. The plant will produce approximately 35 billion kilowatt-hours of electricity every year, once completed. The power plant will have a service life of 60 years.

The project has repeatedly run into delays, including being briefly halted after Turkey downed a Russian jet near the Syrian border in November 2015. Ties have since normalized between the two countries and work on the plant has resumed.

Turkey's second nuclear power plant will be built by a French-Japanese consortium in Sinop, near the Black Sea.

Dependent on imports for almost all of its energy, Turkey has embarked on an ambitious nuclear program, commissioning Rosatom in 2013 to build the four 1,200 megawatt (MW) reactors.

With Turkey's energy imports amounting to about $50 billion annually and its energy demand among the fastest-growing in Europe, Ankara wants at least five percent of its electricity generation to come from nuclear energy in under a decade, cutting dependency on natural gas largely bought from Russia.

https://www.dailysabah.com/energy/2...struction-works-at-akkuyu-nuclear-power-plant

 

[Pax Ottomana]

Finally! Turkey is on a solid path to join the nuclear power club.

Thank you Russia! Our partnership shall be long and strong.

 

[T-123456]

We need Thorium reactors,we dont have any Uranium deposits.

 

[Pax Ottomana]

Per the government source below, we have at least 9000+ tons of proven Uranium reserves according to MTA surveys that were carried out prior to 1990. We probably need a new survey with modern equipment and technologies to discover more.

http://www.enerji.gov.tr/en-US/Pages/Uranium-and-Thorium

But you're right @T-123456 . Thorium is the way to go for Turkey in the future as we have a shitload of it. But as far as I know there isn't an operating commercial Thorium reactor yet. It's still pretty much only theoretical and the global energy/nuclear energy lobby is keeping it on the backburner so that they can keep selling everyone uranium and make money.

 

[T-123456]

Per the government source below, we have at least 9000+ tons of proven Uranium reserves according to MTA surveys that were carried out prior to 1990. We probably need a new survey with modern equipment and technologies to discover more.

That is not even worth mentioning(not mining it),then there is the enrichment capability,we dont have any which means that we have to buy from abroad.
Again dependence on others.

But you're right @T-123456 . Thorium is the way to go for Turkey in the future as we have a shitload of it. But as far as I know there isn't an operating commercial Thorium reactor yet. It's still pretty much only theoretical and the global energy/nuclear energy lobby is keeping it on the backburner so that they can keep selling everyone uranium and make money.

Canada,China,India,Norway,Israel,US,UK and Japan are in the process of developing(some almost finished) a Thorium reactor,we should form a JV with one these countries.
This should be a priority if we want to be selfsufficiant in nuclear energy.
It would strentghten our soft power status in the region and in the world.

 

[Deliorman]

Changing our dependence on Russian oil and gas (Gazprom) to a such on Uranium (Rosatom)...

 

[Pax Ottomana]

Canada,China,India,Norway,Israel,US,UK and Japan are in the process of developing(some almost finished) a Thorium reactor,we should form a JV with one these countries.
This should be a priority if we want to be selfsufficiant in nuclear energy.
It would strentghten our soft power status in the region and in the world.

I completely agree. Thorium is the future of nuclear power. I'd also recommend investing in cold fusion, albeit the technology is way more experimental than Thorium reactors.

We don't have a lot of Uranium, correct, but we can still develop and offer enrichment services. This way we can buy Uranium ore from any country we please at a rather cheap price and then enrich it ourselves for our own use or sell the fuel rods in the open market. Turkey needs to have the entire fuel cycle infrastructure in place.

• Mining (Thorium, uranium)
• Enrichment/Purification Facility
  
• Fuel Rod Manufacturing Facility
  
• Nuclear Power Plants (Both Uranium and Thorium based)
• Fuel Recycling/Reconditioning Facility (fuel rod and nuclear medicine raw materials manufacturing)
  
• Spent fuel reprocessing (depleted uranium shells, armor, etc manufacturing)
• Underground long term waste storage facility

 

[what]

Changing our dependence on Russian oil and gas (Gazprom) to a such on Uranium (Rosatom)...

When you think about it, its not a bad deal: Russia builds it, pays for it too. So instead of buying oil or gas where no value is added in Turkey the energy will now be produced locally, workers will be paid, taxes too and only the surplus/profit will go to Russia.

So of each Lira spend more of it will stay inside the economy.

 

[Nefarious]

Anybody know why they didn't get them earlier seems abit late I would have expected them to be operating some already.

 

[Pax Ottomana]

Anybody know why they didn't get them earlier seems abit late I would have expected them to be operating some already.

Constructing a nuclear power plant is subject to a lot of research, economic and environmental impact analysis, regulatory licensing, bureaucracy, red tape, diplomacy. Their construction permit was issued just this year if I'm not mistaken. Operating permit remains to be issued and is expected early 2018.

As for why Turkey's waited so long to diversify its energy portfolio with nuclear?

Because we've had a lot of dumb, short-sighted, corrupt, anti-patriotic politicians in the past who always opted to fill their own pockets instead of investing in Turkey's infrastructure.

 

[Adıvar]

Good news. We need more.

By the way, respect to all whom started/contributed to researching nuclear energy in Turkey. İnönü, Demirel, Ecevit and Erdoğan.
The first plant with 1 MW power (later 5MW) was constructed in Küçükçekmece for research pupose in 1962. I dont know why it is still Russians making it instead of our own engineers.

 

[Pax Ottomana]

Good news. We need more.

By the way, respect to all whom started/contributed to researching nuclear energy in Turkey. İnönü, Demirel, Ecevit and Erdoğan.
The first plant with 1 MW power (later 5MW) was constructed in Küçükçekmece for research pupose in 1962. I dont know why it is still Russians making it instead of our own engineers.

Well, random Turkish engineers cannot spontaneously gather together and design and build a modern, safe, competent nuclear power plant. This requires a multi-billion-dollar company that specializes in such power plants. Turkey has no such nuclear company that can undertake a project like this. That's why we have to work with foreign firms like Rosatom, Areva, Mitsubishi Heavy Industries, Westinghouse, etc. who have not only the know-how and the engineer manpower, but also the experience, safety record and financial backing a project like this requires.

 

[Islamic faith&Secularism]

One of the worst decisions the AKP has made, building the future by following the decades past methods will badly strike the country by a few fields, even no need to mention about dependency on Russia, money, danger etc.

 

[KediKesenFare3]

We actually have Uranium and Thorium deposits in Turkey: http://www.enerji.gov.tr/en-US/Pages/Uranium-and-Thorium

It's just not economical to start mining in these fields. However, some political desicion makers could think differently regarding this issue.

One of the worst decisions the AKP has made, building the future by following the decades past methods will badly strike the country by a few fields, even no need to mention about dependency on Russia, money, danger etc.

İt all depends on one vital question:

If the spent nuclear fuel is staying in Turkey rather than sending it back to Russia, Erdoğan did something very, very good for the future of Turkey. If not, he's just dump.

 

[what]

İt all depends on one vital question:

If the spent nuclear fuel is staying in Turkey rather than sending it back to Russia, Erdoğan did something very, very good for the future of Turkey. If not, he's just dump.

I know why you're saying that, but have you ever thought about storing nuclear waste for the next 1000 years?