Russia to build nuclear power plant in Turkey

Turkey's Energy and Natural Resources Minister Taner Yildiz has announced his country's plans to import Russian fuel for its first nuclear power plant to be built in the southern Mersin province on the Mediterranean coast.

During Prime Minister Tayyip Erdogan's visit to Moscow in the beginning of the year, the sides issued a statement to that effect and set up a working group to prepare a feasibility report. Russia's Atomstroiexport company was commissioned to build four 1,200-megawatt reactors for the future power plant. Konstantin Simonov, Director General of the National Energy Security Fund, hailed the deal:

"We have vast opportunities as regards nuclear fuel. Russia participates in fairly complicated commercial chains, for one, it processes uranium for Australia, and we also process uranium from nuclear missiles into fuel for atomic power plants in the United States. In terms of uranium enrichment and nuclear fuel". production, Russia has lots of competitive advantages.

Over 400 nuclear reactors are currently operating in the world. As more and more countries are seeking to produce nuclear energy for civil needs as a way of easing their dependence on oil imports and cutting greenhouse gas emissions, competition in this market segment is likely to grow.