Turkey, Japan scrap partnership in Sinop nuclear plant in Turkey’s north

Turkey is reassessing its major partner for the country's second nuclear plant in the Black Sea province of Sinop, Energy Minister Fatih Dönmez said on Jan. 19.

In an interview with state-run Anadolu Agency, Dönmez said that the time schedule and pricing of the nuclear power plant in Sinop fell short of the ministry's expectations after the results of feasibility studies, carried out by Japanese Mitsubishi Heavy Industries, Ltd., came out.

"We agreed with the Japanese side to not continue our cooperation regarding this matter," Dönmez said.

The minister added that Turkey can hold talks with other suppliers for the construction of the nuclear plant.

The project was agreed on by the Japanese and Turkish governments in 2013. A consortium led by Mitsubishi Heavy Industries had been conducting a feasibility study until March for the construction of a 4,500-megawatt plant in Sinop.

Regarding Turkey's other nuclear projects, Dönmez said that the construction license for the second unit of Akkuyu Nuclear Power Plant (NPP) was given in August 2019 and the construction is expected to start soon.

He added that the application for the third unit's construction was completed last year, but the Nuclear Regulatory Authority is currently evaluating a limited work permit that will allow preparatory work.

An intergovernmental agreement was signed between Turkey and Russia in May 2010 for Akkuyu NPP, the first nuclear plant of Turkey that will have four VVER-1200 power reactors with a total installed capacity of 4,800 megawatts.

Upon completion, the plant will generate about 35 billion kilowatt-hours of electricity per year, with a service life of 60 years.

The first reactor of the plant is planned to be operational in...