Baku, Azerbaijan, July 9
By Rufiz Hafizoglu - Trend:
A new state agency has been established in Turkey to regulate nuclear energy sector, the Turkish "Resmi Gazete" newspaper wrote July 9.
The staff of the new state agency will consist of 199 employees, the message says.
"In particular, the new state agency will employ 116 specialists in nuclear technology," the message says.
The state agency will regulate the work of nuclear power plants in Turkey, said the message.
In early April, the Turkish province of Mersin hosted a groundbreaking ceremony for laying foundation of Turkey's first nuclear power plant "Akkuyu", which was attended by the Presidents of Turkey and Russia - Recep Tayyip Erdogan and Vladimir Putin.
Prior to Vladimir Putin's visit to Ankara, the Turkish Atomic Energy Agency issued a license for the construction of the first unit of nuclear power plant "Akkuyu".
The agreement on the construction of Akkuyu NPP was signed on May 12, 2010 in Ankara between the Russian and Turkish governments, and on December 13 of the same year Akkuyu Nuclear JSC was registered. The Akkuyu NPP project involves the construction of four power units with Russian WWER-1200 reactor plants of 3+ generation that meet the highest post-Fukushima safety standards. The capacity of each unit will be 1200 MW. The cost of the project is estimated at $20 billion.
Akkuyu is the world's first NPP project implemented under the BOO model (build-own-operate). In accordance with this formula, Russia will have the right to use the station's facilities.
In 1955, Turkey signed an agreement with the United States on the peaceful use of the atom. At the end of 1965, Turkey began research in connection with the construction of the nuclear power plant, and in 1981 an agreement on cooperation with the IAEA was signed.
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