AtkinsRealis will conduct a feasibility study for a potential six-unit, 4.5-gigawatt nuclear plant in Turkey. The parties plan to complete an engineering design study by 2028, and first electricity from the planned plant is expected in 2036.
AtkinsRealis said it would study an expansion of Turkey’s nuclear programme under a deal with state-owned nuclear energy company TUNAS. The plan under discussion is for a six-unit, 4.5-gigawatt plant, with an engineering design study planned for completion by 2028 before a final investment decision.
The study will assess the site, the adaptation of CANDU reactor technology, plant operations and financing. AtkinsRealis said the project’s financing roadmap would use a typical debt-equity split, with Canada anchoring the debt through its export credit agency and credit financing from other nations and commercial loans making up the remainder.
Turkey has identified Sinop on the Black Sea and the Thrace region as potential locations for new plants. Energy Minister Alparslan Bayraktar said Turkey aims to raise nuclear capacity to 10 gigawatts by 2040, when it expects nuclear power to meet 11% of electricity demand.
