Ankara, Turkey, Nov. 16
By Atilla Caner, Orkhan Quluzade – Trend:
It is planned to get a license in Turkish Atomic Energy Authority (TAEK) for the construction of Akkuyu nuclear power plant in the country’s province of Mersin in 2017, according to the 2017 budget plan of the Ministry of Energy and Natural Resources of Turkey, the ministry's website reported.
The construction of Akkuyu nuclear power plant will start after the license is obtained and the partnership agreement is concluded between the Rosatom Russian national nuclear corporation and the Turkish consortium of Cengiz Holding, Kolin and Kalyon (CKK), according to the budget plan.
Initially, only Cengiz Holding was participating in talks with the Russian side, and currently Kolin and Kalyon companies also joined the talks.
CKK executives met with Rosatom executive Kirill Komarov in Istanbul Nov.11 where they discussed principles for forming the basis of the possible partnership.
If both parties reach an agreement regarding the details, a 49-percent stake of the project will be transferred to Turkish CKK while 51 percent of the shares will remain at Rosatom.
The executives collectively agreed that partnership talks will reach the agreement phase by the end of 2016.
The intergovernmental agreement between Russia and Turkey on cooperation in the fields of construction and operation of the country's first Akkuyu nuclear power plant near the city of Mersin in southern Turkey was signed in 2010. The plant's construction is expected to be completed in 2020.
The project's cost nears $20 billion. The Akkuyu power plant is projected to generate about 35 billion kilowatt hours of electricity per year.
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