Environment report for Turkey's first nuke plant re-submitted

ANKARA - Anadolu Agency

Greenpeace environmental activists stage a protest against the nuclear plant slated to be in Mersin, citing environmental and health concerns. DHA Photo

The contractor of the Turkey’s first nuclear plant, planned to be built in southern province of Mersin, has re-submitted the environmental approval-seeking report to the ministry months after being rejected.

The Environmental Impact Assessment (ÇED) report for the Akkuyu nuclear power plant has been submitted to the Environment and Urban Planning Ministry for evaluation.

The report is foreseen to be approved in May after being consulted to representatives of related institutions and specialists, according to government officials.

The first draft of the report was not approved because additional information needed to be added. With the additions, the 3,000-page report extended to approximately 3,500 pages.

The start of construction for the Mersin Akkuyu plant that is undertaken by Russian company Rosatom is scheduled for mid-2015, and by 2023 all four planned reactors are meant to have started generating power.

However, the project still has to obtain a construction license and was hampered by other delays over the summer.

The plant’s deputy general manager, Rauf Kasumov, said that even if there are small delays as a result of the report, construction of the nine-year project will be on target.

With the aim of replacing its heavy-dependence on foreign energy resources, Turkey pins high hopes on the project that is expected to cost about $20 billion.

As another major reason for the hold-up in the project is the lack of an eligible company to review and assess Rosatom’s reactor plans to ensure the design meets safety standards.