Nuclear energy is a must for Turkey especially because its energy demand grows more than any other European country, the International Energy Agency's chief economist Fatih Birol told Anadolu Agency in Doha, Anadolu Agency reported.
"Nuclear energy is one of the rare zero-carbon emission energy form and it is an indispensable option for Turkey, considering its regional and global gravity," Birol said, adding: "It is a must for Turkey"
At the moment, Turkey relies heavily on expensive natural gas exports from Russia and Iran for its domestic electricity production. The country strives to decrease this dependence by increasing its renewable energy resources and plans to construct at least three nuclear power plants.
Birol highlighted the important of renewable energy resources along with the nuclear plants to meet the domestic demand.
" Turkey faces the most rapid increase in energy demand among European countries, so we must utilize not only renewable energy but alsonuclear energy. We must use all these and consider their cost burden on the economy," he said.
Turkey's energy demand is constantly increasing daily because of its industrial growth, rising population and general economic boost in the country.
Turkey's energy sector is also investing heavily to meet the demand. Turkey has already doubled its installed capacity since 2001, and in 2014 alone, the country consumed more than 255 billion kilowatt hours of electricity, while the installed capacity was more than 70,000 megawatts.