Turkey on Wednesday held a groundbreaking ceremony for the third reactor at the country’s first nuclear power plant.
The event was virtually attended by President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan and his Russian counterpart Vladimir Putin.
The Akkuyu Nuclear Power Plant marks another major joint energy project that the leaders said symbolizes a deep partnership between Turkey and Russia.
“We had the opportunity to see the results of the Turkish-Russian dialogue in the field. We are committed to advancing this cooperation in the coming period,” Erdoğan said at the program.
The decision to include nuclear power in our national energy infrastructure is a strategic step toward energy supply security, the president noted.
“We will be placing Turkey in the league of countries with nuclear energy by 2023, the 100th anniversary of the founding of our Republic,” the president noted, referring to the year when the plant’s first unit, out of a total of four, is scheduled to become operational.
Saying that the Turkish-Russian project marks the start of a new era, Putin said it would significantly contribute to Turkey’s energy security and further strengthen its economy.
