US is ready to support nuclear energy initiatives in Türkiye

(MENAFN) According to a high-ranking advisor from the US State Department, American funding institutions are prepared to back nuclear energy initiatives in Türkiye, with a particular focus on small modular reactors (SMRs). However, progress depends on receiving viable project proposals.

“We are waiting for the projects to come forward so we can say… match the project with the money,” Justin Friedman explained during the 11th Nuclear Power Plants Summit held in Istanbul on July 1-2. He emphasized, “They are ready to go; we just need good projects to come.”

Friedman mentioned that the US Export-Import Bank and the US International Development Finance Corporation have already expressed interest by issuing letters totaling over $17 billion for nuclear energy projects in Romania and Poland, and now they are turning their attention to opportunities in Türkiye. “I know they are exploring opportunities here in Türkiye and have programs to help, particularly SMRs, move forward,” he noted.

Currently, Türkiye is constructing its inaugural nuclear power facility, the Akkuyu project on the Mediterranean coast, in collaboration with Russia’s state nuclear company. This four-reactor plant is expected to generate roughly 10% of the nation’s electricity for at least six decades once it is fully functional.

Additionally, Türkiye aims to develop major nuclear plants in Sinop by the Black Sea and in the Thrace region in the northwest, with a goal of reaching 20 gigawatts of nuclear capacity by 2050. Small modular reactors are also being considered as part of the country’s future energy strategy.

Friedman, who served as political counselor at the US Embassy in Ankara from 2014 to 2017, highlighted the natural potential for collaboration between American and Turkish firms within the SMR sector.

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