Hurriyet – Türkiye’s second nuclear power plant (NPP) project to be built by a Japanese-led consortium will get parliamentary approval by June, according to Türkiye’s Minister of Energy, Taner Yildiz. Türkiye and Japan signed a deal last year for the construction of a nuclear power plant in Türkiye’s Black Sea province of Sinop by Mitsubushi Heavy Industries and the French energy company, Areva. Russia is building the country’s first NPP in Akkuyu, Mersin with construction set to start in 2016.
In an interview given to the Japanese daily Nikkei, Yildiz said that the final contract of the USD 22 billion project signed between Türkiye and Japan was expected to pass through the Turkish parliament by June. “The involved parties plan to establish the project company by then”, he noted adding that the Turkish side will have a share of between 35 and 49 percent in the company.
Recalling that the two countries had also agreed to establish a Turkish-Japanese Technical University in Türkiye, Yildiz said that a memorandum of understanding will soon be signed with the Japanese side. “The transfer of know-how especially in nuclear-related fields is of utmost importance to us”, the Minister remarked.
Yildiz called on to the Japanese companies to invest in Türkiye’s energy sector, saying; “Studies are ongoing to build thermal power plants on Elbistan coal fields which hold 40 percent of Türkiye’s lignite reserves. Power plants with a total output capacity of 6,000 – 7,000 MWs are being planned with an investment cost of USD 10 billion. Japanese Mitsubishi Corp and Mitsui have expressed their interest in the project”.
Thanks to excellent bilateral relations, Türkiye has seen increased investments in recent years from Japanese companies in sectors such as automotive, energy, infrastructure and finance. Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan will pay an official visit to Japan next week with his agenda including strengthening business and trade ties.