Turkey needs nuclear power plants (NPP) to diversify its energy resources as its economy grows rapidly, Turkey's President said Tuesday, Anadolu Agency reported.
"Turkey's legislations and applications about nuclear security are developing," Abdullah Gul said a Nuclear Security Summit (NSS) in The Hague.
On Monday, Gul and officials from 11 other countries signed a joint statement, agreeing to eliminate highly enriched uranium within their borders.
Turkey relies heavily on foreign energy resources such as natural gas and oil, which account for almost half the electricity production in the country with an annual cost of up to $60 billion. The government aims to curb the reliance on energy imports.
Turkey's first nuclear power plant (NPP) is being built by Russian state company Rosatom in Akkuyu, on the Mediterranean coast, and will be fully operational by 2023.
Turkey also plans to build a second nuclear plant in the port city of Sinop on the Black Sea coast with a Franco-Japanese consortium. After negotiations with Japan, there were speculations that Turkey could have access to enriched uranium, which could be used in nuclear weapons.