Putin says Turkish investors are ready to take stake in Akkuyu nuclear plant
President Vladimir Putin said on Wednesday that Turkish investors were ready to acquire a stake in the Akkuyu nuclear power plant, which is being developed by Russia’s Rosatom in Turkey, Interfax news agency reported.
“We are building, operating and owning the plant. Some Turkish companies … are ready to acquire a stake. We would welcome that,” he said, putting the project’s value at about $25 billion.
Moscow and Ankara signed an agreement in 2010 to build a nuclear power plant with four Russian VVER-1200 reactors, but the project has faced repeated delays and bureaucratic hurdles.
Rosatom began construction in 2018. However, the commissioning schedule has been repeatedly pushed back from its original 2023 target, and Rosatom now expects the first reactor to achieve its first self-sustaining nuclear chain reaction before the end of this year.
The Akkuyu project is financed by Russia. Rosatom, its sole owner, can sell a stake of up to 49 per cent to a partner to share the investment burden.
In April, Rosatom said it had started new talks with Turkish companies on joint ownership of Akkuyu after the Iran war spurred interest in such assets.
Earlier in October, Alexei Likhachev, Rosatom’s chief, said the talks were making progress.
Credit: Reuters
