Turkiye, AtkinsRealis sign deal for study on possible nuclear plant

Summary

• AtkinsRealis subsidiary Candu Energy & Turkish state-owned firm TUNAS agreed to conduct a feasibility study for expanding Turkiye's nuclear program.
• The proposed project involves a six-unit, 4.5-gigawatt plant utilizing CANDU reactor technology, with an engineering design study targeted for completion by 2028.
• Potential new plant locations identified include Sinop in the Black Sea region & the Thrace region in the northwest.
• Turkiye aims to increase total nuclear capacity to 10 GW by 2040, meeting 11% of electricity demand, with a decision on new sites expected in 2027.
• First electricity generation from the planned new facility is expected in 2036.
• Financing discussions involve a typical debt versus equity split, with Canada's export credit agency anchoring the debt portion.
• The agreement was signed on the sidelines of COP31 in Antalya, following the upgrade of Canada-Turkiye relations to a strategic partnership.
• Turkiye's existing Akkuyu plant, built by Russia's Rosatom, faces delays but expects the first reactor to achieve criticality before the end of 2026.