Afət Ziyadqızı
Türkiye’s Nuclear Energy Joint Stock Company (TÜNAŞ) and the US Trade and Development Agency (USTDA) have signed a grant agreement to assess small modular reactors (SMRs) and fourth-generation nuclear technologies.
Operative Information Center-OMM reports that the signing ceremony took place at the Turkish House in New York during Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan’s participation in the 81st session of the UN General Assembly.
TÜNAŞ Director-General Necati Yamaç and USTDA Deputy Director Thomas Hardy signed the document in the presence of Energy and Natural Resources Minister Alparslan Bayraktar.
Under the agreement, the technical, economic, regulatory and licensing feasibility of deploying four US-owned small modular reactor (SMR) designs and five different fourth-generation reactor designs in Türkiye will be comprehensively assessed.
The study will examine reactor costs, supply chains, SWOT analysis, financing models, emergency preparedness and site selection. The technical research project, which has a budget of approximately $2 million and will last at least one year, will be fully funded by USTDA.
Minister Alparslan Bayraktar said that, within the framework of Türkiye’s 2053 net-zero emissions and full energy independence targets, the country is committed to adding advanced alternative technologies to its energy portfolio alongside large nuclear power plants.
