Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan announced that his country has entered the club of nuclear energy countries in the world, through the "Akkuyu" plant in the state of Mersin, in the south of the country.
Erdogan said in a speech today, Thursday, during his participation via video conference in the ceremony of supplying the Akkuyu station with the first nuclear fuel, accompanied by Russian President Vladimir Putin: With the provision of nuclear fuel to the station, the Akkuyu station acquired its identity as a nuclear facility, and that all units of the station will enter Service successively until 2028, and will provide 10 percent of Turkey's electric energy needs.
He added, "We have made Turkey one of the countries that use nuclear energy through the Akkuyu plant, after the European Commission described this energy as green.
He pointed out that the Akkuyu nuclear plant was not affected by the earthquake that struck Turkey on February 6, an indication of the accuracy of the construction work carried out by local engineers and workers.
Erdogan stressed that the Akkuyu nuclear plant is the result of our largest joint investment with Russia, and when it enters service at its full capacity, about 35 billion kilowatt-hours of electricity will be produced annually, and it will contribute to reducing Turkey’s imports of natural gas by $ 1.5 billion annually, and will positively affect the increase in its national income.
He said, "In light of our experience in the Akkuyu plant project, we will start at the earliest opportunity with our second and third stations, which are planned to be established in different regions," noting that there are 422 nuclear reactors currently in operation in the world, and that 57 reactors are still under construction./ End
Source: National Iraqi News Agency