Bayraktar: We are targeting 20 gigawatts of nuclear capacity by 2050

Minister of Energy and Natural Resources Alparslan Bayraktar announced at COP31 held in Antalya that Turkey aims to reach an installed nuclear power capacity of 20 gigawatts by 2050. Speaking at a panel organized by Rosatom, Bayraktar said, "Without nuclear energy, we cannot talk about how serious we are in the fight against climate change."

Noting that construction is progressing at the Akkuyu Nuclear Power Plant, Bayraktar said they hope to begin electricity generation in the coming weeks. He stated that Turkey targets at least 15 gigawatts of capacity in large-scale reactors and 5 gigawatts in small modular reactors.

On the same day, 100 environmental organizations from 21 countries published a joint statement titled "Nuclear energy does not offer a solution to climate change, on the contrary, it brings problems." The statement called for abandoning the goal of tripling global nuclear energy capacity by 2050. Drawing attention to the costs of nuclear plants, their long construction times and the radioactive waste problem, the organizations demanded that the resources allocated to nuclear investments be transferred to solar, wind and geothermal energy. The statement, which also addressed the ecological risks of the Akkuyu, Sinop and Thrace projects, argued that nuclear cannot respond to the need for urgent emissions reduction.

From Turkey, Nuclear-Free, the Green Thought Association and the Sinop Anti-Nuclear Platform are also among the signatories. Pinar Demircan said, "Nuclear power plants are not a solution to the climate crisis, on the contrary, they are a problem," and stated that sea water temperatures at Akkuyu and hot water discharge at Sinop and Thrace threaten the ecosystem.

Meanwhile, an agreement was signed between Turkiye Nuclear Energy Inc. (TUNAS) and Candu Energy Inc., a subsidiary of Canada-based AtkinsRealis, for a nuclear power plant being considered for construction in Turkey.