State firm may own 35 pct of Turkey's 2nd nuke plant

ISTANBUL - Anadolu Agency

Minister Yıldız says EÜAŞ will take some 35 pct share in the plant. DHA photo

The share of the Electricity Generation Corporation (EÜAŞ) in Turkey’s second nuclear plant will probably be around 35 percent, Energy Minister Taner Yıldız announced Oct 30.

The plant will be built in the Black Sea province of Sinop by an alliance of Japanese firms Mitsubishi Heavy Industries and Itochu, and French firm Areva.

“Mitsubishi, Itochu and EÜAŞ will work together. Now we are working on details,” Yıldız said.

The reactors are planned to be able to resist a 9 magnitude earthquake and to produce less nuclear waste, he said, adding that the consortium would deal with the work necessary to receive environmental approval in 2014.

The unit price of the plant’s electricity will also be lower than that of the Akkuyu nuclear plant, which is set to be built by Russian firm Rosatom, Yıldız added.

Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdoğan and his Japanese counterpart Shinzo Abe signed on Oct. 29 the host country agreement for building the plant.

The two countries had signed a $22 billion deal in May for the construction of a plant with a total capacity of 4,800 megawatts (mW).

Abe came to Istanbul to attend the official opening ceremony of the Marmaray tunnel, which was also built by a Japanese firm.