Turkey’s first nuke plant may be ready by 2023

The positive environmental impact analysis of the Akkuyu Nuclear Power Plant may be taken at the beginning of 2014, then the plant's four units completed by 2023, said that plant's Vice President Rauf Kasumov, yesterday to Anadolu Agency, Hurriyet reported.

"Turkey and Russia aim to complete the plant by 2023. And this will be happen," he said.

An environmental report (ÇED) by Rosatom, which the Turkish authorities require, is expected to be resubmitted to the Environment Ministry soon, months behind the planned schedule.

"We have taken the first questions about the ÇED from the ministry. After we translate all the documents, we'll send them to Moscow, and then we'll work on these questions. All of the questions are submitting to us part by part, but we have asked for these questions to be sent altogether to shorten the process," he said.

He also added they will start working to take construction licenses and power generation licenses.
Without environmental approval, the company cannot launch tenders for an estimated 8 billion worth of subcontracts.

The nuclear power plant may be delayed by at least a year, a source close to the plans said to Reuters last week, as bureaucratic hurdles hamper the $20 billion project.

Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan has been an advocate of the country's ambitious nuclear program, meant to help reduce its dependence on costly hydrocarbon imports by providing 10 percent of its electricity needs by 2023.


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