ANKARA — Turkey has decided to establish its first nuclear power
facility.
Officials said Prime Minister Recep Erdogan has approved the launch of a
network of eight nuclear reactors in Turkey. They said the government has
already set the requirements and location of the first nuclear reactor.
The first reactor, officials said, would be located at Sinop along the
Black Sea coast. They said the facility would be a 1,000-megawatt
light-water reactor and be situated next to water resources and
infrastructure.
"Sinop was determined to be the best location for a first nuclear
reactor for Turkey," an official said. "We will have to conduct other
studies to ensure that our requirements are fulfilled.
Officials said the Energy Ministry would complete a feasibility study on
Sinop later in 2006. They said the study would determine whether the
facility was situated along a major geological faultline.
On Feb. 28, the National Security Council plans to approve Sinop as well
as the broader nuclear power project for Turkey. The council is chaired by
Erdogan and includes the military chief of staff and defense minister.
Officials said each nuclear plant would take five years to construct and
cost more than $1 billion. They said each of the first three reactors would
be capable of generating 1,000 megawatts of electricity.
Turkish parliamentarian Remzi Cetin has pressed the government to build
a nuclear power plant in Konya in the center of the country. Cetin said
Konya contained a low earthquake risk as well as defense facilities and
military bases.
"For the three nuclear plants that are planned, each having a 1,000
megawatt capacity, we see Konya as the most advantageous location," Cetin
told the Anatolia news agency. "If there is a war, Konya is in a very
defensible area."
Turkey has sought U.S. help for Ankara's nuclear program. The Bush
administration has offered to help a range of Middle East allies in the
development of nuclear power facilities.
In Cairo, Egyptian opposition leader Ayman Nour asked U.S. Secretary of
State Condoleezza Rice to help Egypt develop nuclear energy. In a letter
to Ms. Rice, Nour, serving a five-year sentence for election fraud, said
Egypt required nuclear energy as an alternative to natural gas.