Turkey has formally inaugurated its first nuclear power plant, which was financed by Russia and built by Rosatom, a Russian state-owned nuclear energy company.
“Turkey has joined the club of nuclear energy-producing nations–albeit after a 60-year delay,” Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan said at an April 27 inauguration ceremony, which he addressed via video link.
The ceremony, during which the first batch of nuclear fuel arrived at the reactor, was attended by the Turkish and Russian energy ministers and the head of the International Atomic Energy Agency.
Located in Turkey’s southern Mersin province, the $20 billion Akkuyu nuclear energy project will be able to meet roughly 10 percent of the country’s total demand for electricity, according to project leaders.
Energy-dependent Turkey currently relies on imported energy for approximately 90 percent of its national electricity consumption.
The reactor is part of a broader Turkish–Russian plan to build a total of four nuclear power plants, construction of which began in 2018, near the Mediterranean town of Akkuyu.
Once they become fully operational in 2028, the four power plants will have the capacity to produce a combined 4,800 megawatts of electricity.
“Nuclear energy is no longer a distant target for Turkey,” Turkish Energy Minister Fathi Donmez said at the ceremony. “Next year, we will start generating electricity from nuclear energy.”
Putin Hails ‘Flagship’ Project
Russian President Vladimir Putin also delivered an address by video link, describing the Akkuyu nuclear project as a “flagship” endeavor in Turkish–Russian relations.The project, he said, “helps strengthen the multifaceted partnership between our two states, which is based on the principles of good neighborliness, mutual respect, and consideration of each other’s interests.”
Citing the two countries’ close economic ties, Putin stressed Russia’s continued willingness to help meet Turkey’s energy needs, especially natural gas.
He added that the “close partnership” between Russia and Turkey was “mutually beneficial” and served the “core interests of the two countries’ people and governments.”
Shortly before the inauguration ceremony, Erdogan and Putin exchanged views directly by phone.
According to Turkey’s Anadolu news agency, the two leaders discussed bilateral relations, regional developments, and a Turkey-brokered deal between Russia and Ukraine that lets the latter export grain through the Black Sea.
Despite being a longstanding NATO member, Turkey maintains good relations with Russia, with which it shares extensive trade and energy ties and a lengthy maritime border.
While Ankara was quick to condemn Moscow’s invasion of Ukraine early last year, it has thus far refrained from endorsing Western-led sanctions on Russia.
Earlier this month, Washington unveiled a fresh group of economic sanctions on Russia-linked firms, including five entities closely connected to Rosatom.
The United States accuses Rosatom of using energy exports to exert political pressure on foreign buyers—a claim the company denies.
At the time, Anatoly Antonov, Russia’s ambassador to the United States, described the sanctions on Rosatom-linked firms as “another attempt” by Washington to “sidestep the rules of fair competition.”
Pre-Poll Health Scare
The reactor’s inauguration comes only two weeks before Erdogan and his ruling Justice and Development Party (AKP) face contentious presidential and parliamentary polls slated for May 14.With deep-seated support in rural, more conservative parts of the country, Erdogan and his Islamist-leaning AKP have remained firmly in power since 2002.
But they have seen their popularity decline in recent years, due mainly to skyrocketing living costs and the dwindling value of the Turkish lira.
Some opinion polls suggest that the AKP—and its leader—could lose the vote to a six-party coalition led by the secular-oriented Republican People’s Party.
On April 25, Erdogan abruptly ended a live television interview complaining of a stomach ailment. The following day, he canceled several scheduled appearances at campaign rallies.
The cancellations quickly sparked speculation online that the 69-year-old leader was suffering from ill health; some claimed he had been hospitalized.
However, on April 27, a presidential spokesman rejected the claims, while stressing Erdogan’s fitness for office.
The president, he said, “is on the job with great strength, health, and vigor.”
The spokesman went on to accuse the opposition of “trying to gain political advantage through baseless distortions about the president’s health.”
The Kremlin, for its part, said it was unaware of the rumors.
“We are preparing for a phone conversation today,” a Kremlin spokesman told reporters shortly before the inauguration ceremony.
“The two presidents will engage in meaningful conversation.”
