A team of experts from the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) who reviewed Turkey's program for introducing nuclear power has noted important progress the country has made in the development of its nuclear infrastructure.
The team reported that the program enjoyed strong government support and recognized several good practices, such as effective coordination among government organizations, and the plan to establish a fund for future safety upgrades at the Akkuyu nuclear power plant. It also made recommendations for further actions.
The experts sent on a Turkish government request conducted an Integrated Nuclear Infrastructure Review (INIR) mission in Turkey from November 4 to 14.
"The INIR Mission report will help us develop our national policy in nuclear energy, and our project company will help us in developing the requirements identified in the report," said Metin Kilci, Undersecretary of the Turkish Ministry of Energy and Natural Resources (MENR), during the exit meeting of the mission.
In all, 25 organizations involved in building the national nuclear infrastructure were in the discussions with the mission team, the IAEA said in a press release. They included the Ministry of Energy and Natural Resources, the Turkish Atomic Energy Authority, the Akkuyu project company, the national electricity generation joint stock company EUAS, and other organizations.
Turkey decided to include nuclear power in its energy mix to meet the increasing demand for electricity and support its economic development. The country plans to build a nuclear power plant at Akkuyu with Russian collaboration, and is developing another project at Sinop in cooperation with Japan. The share of nuclear power in Turkish electricity generation is aimed to reach at least ten per cent by 2023.
"Turkey is implementing the Build-Own-Operate, or BOO, approach; it is the first time in the history of nuclear power that this approach has been used," said Jong Kyun Park, director of IAEA's nuclear power division and team leader for the INIR Mission. "This method is very interesting because it solves two of the biggest challenges that newcomers face: financing and experienced operators," he added.
The mission's recommendations included completing a national policy on nuclear energy, strengthening the regulatory body, and developing a national plan for human resource development.
It was the 12th INIR Mission organized by the IAEA. Other embarking countries have also benefited from this service, including Bangladesh, Belarus, Indonesia, Jordan, Poland, Thailand, the United Arab Emirates and Vietnam. In early 2013, South Africa hosted an INIR Mission as the first operating country considering expansion of its nuclear power program.
INIR Missions, comprising IAEA staff and international experts, are designed to help IAEA member-states assess the status of their national infrastructure for the introduction of nuclear power.
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