Tripartite agreement on third Turkish plant

Westinghouse Electric Company, China's State Nuclear Power Technology Corporation (SNPTC) and Turkish power company Elektrik Üretim AŞ (EÜAŞ) have signed an agreement to begin exclusive negotiations to develop and construct a four-unit nuclear power plant in Turkey.

Westinghouse and SNPTC have a long history of close collaboration on AP1000-based nuclear reactor technology. In addition to the first four AP1000 units under construction at Sanmen and Haiyang in China, China's own CAP1400 reactor has evolved from the Westinghouse design.

As well as AP1000-based reactor technology, the agreement also covers all life cycle activities including operations, nuclear fuel, maintenance, engineering, plant services and decommissioning. No site has as yet been identified for the project, which looks likely to be Turkey's third nuclear power plant.

Westinghouse CEO and president Danny Roderick said the company was "excited" at the prospect of expanding into Turkey, adding that the relationship between Westinghouse and SNPTC would provide the best value to Turkish customers. In a statement, SNPTC chairman Wang Binghua said the development was an important step for Chinese cooperation with Westinghouse on the global market, adding that the companies would bring their joint experience of constructing passive third-generation nuclear technology to Turkey.

With Chinese intellectual property rights and backed by full fuel cycle capability, the CAP1400 is central to Chinese policy aims to become an exporter of nuclear technology. A site at Shidaowan in Shandong province is being prepared for the start of construction of the first CAP1400.

Meanwhile, in addition to the four Chinese units, AP1000s are under construction at Vogtle and VC Summer in the USA. The reactor is also being considered for construction at Moorside in the UK and at Kozloduy in Bulgaria.

Work is expected to start next year on Turkey's first nuclear power plant, four VVER-1200 units to be built at Akkuyu. Rosatom will build, own and operate the plant as part of a long-term power purchase agreement. A second plant of four Atmea 1 reactors, designed by Areva and Mitsubishi Heavy Industries, is pencilled in for construction at Sinop.

Earlier this year Turkish prime minister Ahmet Davutoglu was cited by the Anadolu Agency as saying that the country intended to build a third nuclear power plant itself, with construction beginning by 2018-2019.

Researched and written
by World Nuclear News