The students will later be recruited at the Mersin plant and sign a contract with the government to serve there for 13 years.
Expecting to build Turkey’s first nuclear plant in Mersin, the government is set to send a group of 50 students to receive nuclear engineering training at the Moscow State Engineering Physics Institute (MEPhI), Energy Minister Taner Yıldız said on Tuesday. The minister met with the students in Ankara on Tuesday.
The government earlier said it would send 300 students from university engineering departments to receive training at MEPhI. The first team will start training in Russia shortly on a five-and-a-half year scholarship program.
Turkey has reached a deal with the Russian state-owned atomic power company ROSATOM for the construction of a plant in Akkuyu and recent statements note that the government will ask Russia to increase safety precautions at the plant. The plant’s construction is expected to begin in less than two years’ time and will take six to seven years to complete. The minister said all of the students are expected to complete their training in the meantime.
The students will later be recruited at the Mersin plant and sign a contract with the government to serve there for 13 years.
Yıldız earlier said that the employees will be provided with public housing and “high” salaries. Despite criticism from green activists, Turkey remains intent on constructing a nuclear power plant in Mersin’s Akkuyu district and another one in the Black Sea province of Sinop.
Meanwhile, the minister said the government did not consider an increase in natural gas prices.
Turkey has recently warned that unless the Japanese government clarifies its position on exporting nuclear power plants, from the end of the month Turkey might open up discussions with other countries on buying nuclear plant technology.
In this March 11, 2011 file photo released by Tokyo Electric Power Co., waves of tsunami come toward tanks of heavy oil for the Unit 5 of the Fukushima Dai-ichi nuclear complex in Okuma, Fukushima Prefecture, northeastern Japan. (AP Photo/Tokyo Electric Power Co.)
In December 2010, Japan won Turkey’s agreement to be given top priority in negotiations for a supplier as Turkey plans its first nuclear power plants. However, after the Great East Japan Earthquake in March, negotiations were frozen at the request of the Japanese side. Turkey extended the negotiations to the end of July, but it appears to hold doubts over the Japanese government’s support for nuclear technology exports after Prime Minister Naoto Kan’s comments that Japan should free itself from dependence on nuclear energy and review its exports of nuclear plant technology.
The Ministry of Economy, Trade and Industry (METI) appeared unshaken by Turkey’s warning, with a high-ranking member saying, “It’s not an unusual tactic in such negotiations. We will respond calmly.”
Behind that confidence is the view, expressed by METI minister Banri Kaieda, that similarly quake-prone Turkey “has faith in Japanese nuclear power technology” even after the March 11 earthquake.
Additionally, a high-level executive at a nuclear power equipment maker says, “There are many countries that say they want Japan’s nuclear power plant technology.”
METI, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs (MOFA) and related corporations have showed their intention to continue trying to sell nuclear technology.
However, the Cabinet is divided. While METI minister Kaieda holds to his support for exporting Japan’s nuclear technology, Prime Minister Kan has shown his support for a review of such exports. Under such circumstances, one METI official said, “It’s understandable that Turkey would be unsettled.”
A high-ranking official of METI’s Agency for Natural Resources and Energy will visit Turkey within the week to better grasp its position, but until the Japanese government’s position on the issue is decided, it will likely be difficult for Japan to move negotiations in a favorable direction.
In the case of Turkey, Toshiba Corp. has been negotiating for equipment orders with the Japanese government’s support. On Toshiba’s request, Tokyo Electric Power Co. (TEPCO) had been planned to provide technical knowledge. However, on July 26 TEPCO, saddled with the issue of compensation for the Fukushima nuclear disaster, emphasized that it “will not be involved with nuclear power plant exports.”
Furthermore, on May 20 TEPCO had announced, “To reduce costs, we will not be involved with projects other than those absolutely necessary,” showing that it views itself as in no position to be expanding overseas.
Separately, on July 14, Hitachi Ltd. secured top priority from Lithuania in negotiations for selling nuclear plant technology.
In this photo released by Tokyo Electric Power Co. (TEPCO), gray smoke rises from Unit 3 of the tsunami-stricken Fukushima Dai-ichi nuclear power plant in Okumamachi, Fukushima Prefecture, Japan, Monday, March 21, 2011. (AP Photo/Tokyo Electric Power Co.)
A Toshiba spokesperson said, “Unlike Lithuania, where the equipment maker negotiated directly with the other country, the Turkey case depends on Japanese government policy. Unless both governments decide on a framework, we cannot act.”
A high-ranking executive of one equipment maker said, “We will feel out the possibility of independently negotiating with countries, without relying on the government.”
(Mainichi Japan) July 27, 2011
via Turkey warns it may buy nuclear tech from another country if Japan doesn’t clarify stance – The Mainichi Daily News.
“Turkey has been in intense negotiations with Russia’s Rossatom and Atomstroyexport to buy the reactors meant for Bulgaria’s second nuclear power plant on the Danube island of Belene. These are not ungrounded apprehensions – I have confirmed information,” Socialist MP Roumen Petkov said in the town of Pleven.
“It is up to the Russians to decide whether they should continue to put up with the recklessness and irresponsibility of Sofia’s government, or act according to their economic interests,” he explained.
In his words, the Russians could re-sell the equipment for NPP Belene, some of which Sofia has already paid for, and launch a lawsuit against the country before the International Court of Arbitration on account of Sofia’s careless behavior.
In his words, the Bulgarian taxpayers may have to pay between 600 million and one billion euros in compensations to the Russian companies, if the Bulgarian government decides to unilaterally cancel the agreements with the Russian constructors.
Evgeni Goranov
via Bulgaria – Turkey Wants to Buy the Reactors for Bulgaria’s Second NPP – Standart.
As the entire world is now struggling to decide if states’ efforts to develop nuclear energy should continue after what recently happened in Japan’s Fukushima Daiichi nuclear power plant following the March 11 twin earthquake and tsunami disasters, there is also an ongoing public debate in Turkey: People wonder if the Justice and Development Party (AK Party) government is doing the right thing as it seems determined to go ahead with its ambitious nuclear energy program.
According to Rosatom officials, the planned nuclear power plant in Akkuyu and the one in Kalinin are very similar in terms of electricity production technology and safety systems.
According to Rosatom officials, the planned nuclear power plant in Akkuyu and the one in Kalinin are very similar in terms of electricity production technology and safety systems.
Russia’s Rosatom State Nuclear Energy Corporation is concerned with the outcome of the ongoing nuclear energy debate in Turkey because it was awarded a $20 billion deal last year to construct a nuclear power plant in the southern province of Mersin’s Akkuyu district
Russia’s Rosatom State Nuclear Energy Corporation is equally concerned with the outcome of this debate because it was awarded a $20 billion deal last year to construct a nuclear power plant in the southern Turkish province of Mersin’s Akkuyu district. A recent invitation extended to Turkish reporters to visit the Kalinin nuclear power plant that Rosatom officials say utilizes the same technology planned for the Akkuyu power plant is an effort to tame the growing distrust towards nuclear energy in Turkey.
Safest of all
Addressing reporters during that visit, Mihail Kanishev – the chief engineer at Kalinin – said the Akkuyu nuclear power plant will be the safest of its kind, the Cihan news agency reported on Sunday. What he proposed for the planned nuclear power plant in southern Turkey is “a four-layer Matryoshka doll safety system” used in Kalinin. “In case of an accident, heat absorption, natural circulation and cooling automatically start. These safety systems do not require human intervention to start working,” he was quoted as saying by the agency. For him, the Akkuyu nuclear power plant will pose a risk neither to the surrounding inhabitants nor the environment even in case of a magnitude 9 earthquake as happened in northeast Japan last month or even if a plane crashes into the yet-to-be constructed power plant. “The innermost doll is the reactor itself. What constitutes the second doll is the reinforced concrete surface of the reactor. The third doll is the safely cooling system. The water that circulates inside the reactor does not have any contact with the outside world, and neither does the water in the second cooling layer. Only the third cooling circuit uses water supplied externally. In that way, any possible radiation from an accident can only leak from the third layer. The outermost and fourth doll is a safety measure against any possibility of having the reactor badly damaged. Even if the nuclear fuel remains waterless and starts to melt down, the grid we placed at the bottom of the reactor catches this fuel. And because this grid is cooled down with a separate system, we make sure that no blast happens,” he explained.
Rosatom started building the Kalinin nuclear power plant, which is about 200 kilometers northwest of Moscow, in 1974. Its third reactors became operational in 2004, and a fourth reactor is currently under construction. According to Rosatom officials, the planned nuclear power plant in Akkuyu and the one in Kalinin are very similar in terms of electricity production technology and safety systems. The only major difference according to Kanishev, is that Kalinin has 1,000 MW reactors, but the Akkuyu nuclear power plant will have 1,200 MW ones.
Rosatom plans to start construction in Akkuyu in 2013 and have its four planned reactors operational by 2021. Once completed, it is expected to employ 20,000 people. Turkey is presently heavily dependent on foreign energy supplies but aspiring to become self-dependent by 2023, the centennial of the Republic of Turkey. To that end, the AK Party government is planning to have three nuclear plants operational by the 100th anniversary of the republic, while also intensifying oil and natural gas exploration efforts across the country. The growing environmentalist sentiment seems not to have impacted the stance of the government, which says it will never approve any project environmentally hazardous while pursuing the country’s macro interests. According to government officials, people’s environmentalist feelings are used by certain groups who are not happy with the country’s centennial aspirations.
No to Chernobyl, Yes to Akkuyu
As the latest sign of Turkey’s commitment to its nuclear energy program, which the government says is also environment-friendly, Energy and Natural Resources Minister Taner Yıldız said on Monday that he supports protests organized against old-fashioned nuclear power plants that continue producing energy around the world; however, the planned nuclear power plant in Akkuyu should be supported because it poses no risk to the environment at all.
Noting that Greenpeace members often carrying banners reading “No to Chernobyl” during their demonstrations [in Turkey], Yıldız said the same banner should read “No to Chernobyl, Yes to Akkuyu.” “First generation nuclear power plants that are over 40-years old should be closed. But third generation power plants such as the one we plan to build in Akkuyu are necessary. I think Greenpeace will agree,” he said, speaking at a signing ceremony between the state-owned Turkish Pipeline Corporation (BOTAŞ) and the Swiss energy company EGL Group on the transportation and marketing of oil and natural gas.
ISTANBUL, Apr. 25, 2011 (Xinhua News Agency) — Turkey said on Monday that it will go ahead with its plans to build the first nuclear power plant in the Mediterranean town of Akkuyu despite wide domestic opposition after recent nuclear disaster in Japan.
Turkish Energy Minister Taner Yildiz said that environmentalists will agree with a view that opposes nuclear plants using Chernobyl-like technology but supports new-technology reactors.
“Greenpeace members had a placard there, reading, ‘No to Chernobyl.’ I agree with that placard. Still, the correct one sign should have been, ‘No to Chernobyl, yes to Akkuyu.’,” Yildiz said.
“These first-generation plants should be closed down. But the third-generation plant like the one we will build in Akkuyu should continue. I believe that Greenpeace members would think so, too,” he said.
“Security measures at nuclear plants should surely become stricter but nuclear energy production should also continue. This is Turkey’s vision,” he added.
The Russian firm responsible for construction and operation of Turkey’s first nuclear plant discussed its safety features in Istanbul on Monday amidst growing concerns from Turks.
Rosatom Project Management Programs Director Sergei Boyarkin assured Turks that “our nuclear plant will be at least 20 times safer than Fukushima.”
The third-generation nuclear power plant to be built in Akkuyu, 900 km southeast of Istanbul, has always been a topic of controversy but protests have gained significant strength after last month’s disaster at the Fukushima nuclear plant in Japan.
Meanwhile, the government refused to back down from plans to construct the plant.
Russian officials have re-assured those concerned in the past, saying the 20 billion dollar plant with an electricity capacity of 4.8 GW will be able to withstand a magnitude nine earthquake and a plane crash, and will be the safest nuclear plant in the world.
Boyarkin said that besides active safety measures the nuclear plant will also have a passive safety system which kicks in the event of disaster to prevent leakage of radioactive material without need for human involvement.
Since Fukushima did not have such a system, radioactive material had leaked out, and the situation would have been different had steps been taken in the first 24 hours, he added.
He said that additional precautions that will be made in accordance with the meteorological and seismic realities after a comprehensive analysis of the location.
Akkuyu NGS Director Alexander Superfin said that they understood the concerns of the protesters, and that this was caused by a lack of information.
Superfin added that they would soon launch an education center to inform those concerned about the safety measures at the plant.
There will be four units total. The first one is expected to begin operation in 2018, the last one in 2021. Construction on the plant is expected to begin in 2013 and be finished by 2021.
Energy Minister Taner Yıldız on Sunday said negotiations between Turkey and Japan for the construction of a nuclear power plant have been suspended.
Protesters hold placards against nuclear power plant in a rally against nuclear power and its development, in Tokyo. Yıldız said the government suspended talks for the construction of a power plant with Japan.
Speaking to reporters in Kayseri, Yıldız said talks were “affected negatively following a magnitude 9 earthquake and tsunami that struck Japan’s northeast coast” — also hitting its Fukushima Daiichi complex. Following the tsunami, the Japanese government warned of a possible meltdown at the nuclear facility. Efforts are still under way to cool down reactors in a bid to avert further hydrogen explosions. Regarding the nuclear issue, Yıldız said Japanese officials have requested some time from their Turkish counterparts in nuclear talks as Japan is currently dealing with the consequences of its damaged nuclear plant. Japan has submitted a bid to construct a nuclear power plant in Turkey. Talks with South Korea over the construction of a nuclear plant in Sinop have recently collapsed since the sides failed to agree due to differences such as establishing “fair” electricity prices.
“We have told our Japanese counterparts that we can definitely give them the time they requested as a matter of international courtesy,” the minister said.
Japan’s nuclear reactor explosions have prompted all countries to either shut down plants or review plans for new plants while it led to calls in Turkey to revise nuclear plans, under which two or three nuclear power plants will be operational in the coming decades. Turkey is crisscrossed by geological fault lines, and small earthquakes are a near daily occurrence. In 1999, a magnitude 7.4 quake killed more than 20,000 people.
But Turkey’s government has announced that it will stick to its plans to build nuclear power plants. The government remains intent on constructing a nuclear power plant in Mersin’s Akkuyu district and another one in the Black Sea province of Sinop. Turkey has reached a deal with Russia for the construction of a plant in Akkuyu; recent statements note the government will ask Russia to increase safety precautions at this plant.
Meanwhile, commenting on recent reports that claimed oil was discovered off Turkey’s Black Sea coast, Yıldız noted that oil exploration continues in five to six locations in the region. “It is too early to say that we have found oil. I wish I could announce such news. … However, unless we see oil bursting out, I cannot confirm such information.” The minister said the government was committed to continue searching for oil in the Black Sea bed “until a favorable outcome [is reached].”
A Norwegian oil exploration platform, Leiv Eiriksson, is currently engaged in drilling in the Black Sea, estimated to hold some 10 billion barrels of oil, for the Turkish Petroleum Corporation (TPAO) and its Brazilian partner Petrobras. A second drillship belonging to the American energy giant ExxonMobil is expected to start oil exploration in the Black Sea before the end of April once the required feasibility tests are completed.
