Energy and Natural Resources Minister Alparslan Bayraktar met with young people at the southeastern event of TEKNOFEST, held at Şanlıurfa GAP Airport, and explained Türkiye’s work in the field of nuclear energy.
Bayraktar said the nuclear energy technologies competition held as part of the festival was being organized for the third time this year, with 192 teams from different fields taking part. He said the competitions demonstrated Türkiye’s capacity for innovation.
Production and export target in SMR technology
Bayraktar said Türkiye must not miss developments in the field of small modular reactors (SMRs), adding that they aim for the country to learn and produce the technology from its initial stages and export it in the future.
Bayraktar said they want the small modular reactors needed to reach the 20,000-megawatt target to be developed using Türkiye’s own technologies and experts. He said students were being sent to Russia, China and the United States for training to develop human resources in the nuclear energy field.
Bayraktar said the Energy, Nuclear and Mining Research Institution had launched a scholarship program within a year, adding that mentors would be assigned to guide students in their academic and professional development.
Legislation being prepared for small modular reactors
Bayraktar said small modular reactors required comprehensive regulations concerning licensing and nuclear safety, and announced that they were preparing framework legislation in this area. He said the draft law was ready and that the legislation was planned to be brought before Parliament during the current legislative term after the budget was approved.
Bayraktar said the law’s adoption would strengthen the legal basis for small modular reactors, adding that the regulation would establish the framework needed for the sector’s development, financing and safety measures.
ÇNAEM to resume operations
Bayraktar said one of Türkiye’s goals in the nuclear field was to resume operations at the Çekmece Nuclear Research and Training Center, located on the shore of Küçükçekmece Lake in Istanbul, after an approximately 20-year hiatus. He said comprehensive work would be carried out at the center.
Bayraktar said scientific research would be conducted at the center, materials technologies would be developed, and work would be carried out in nuclear medicine and isotope production. He added that applications in agriculture and materials science would also advance within this scope. He said these efforts aimed to reduce dependence on foreign sources in the relevant fields.
Energy vision for 2040 being prepared
Bayraktar highlighted the importance of an uninterrupted energy supply in the age of artificial intelligence and announced that Türkiye was preparing a new energy concept for 2040. He said the concept would be presented to the public in Türkiye and worldwide within a few weeks, adding that the ultimate goal was to ensure Türkiye’s energy independence.
Emphasizing that Türkiye must have nuclear energy, Bayraktar said electricity production at the Akkuyu Nuclear Power Plant was expected to begin within a few months, adding that this would turn a 70-year-old dream into reality.
Representatives from the TEKNOFEST administration and members of the command echelon of the Turkish Armed Forces also visited the Energy and Natural Resources Ministry’s stand at the festival site and received information about the work being carried out.
