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The News That Matters about the Nuclear Industry

Russia sells 49 percent stake in Akkuyu nuclear project to Turkish companies

Russia’s Rosatom sells 49 percent stake in Akkuyu nuclear project to Turkish companies, Hurriyet Daily News, 19 June 17 MOSCOW, Russia’s state-owned nuclear energy conglomerate Rosatom agreed to sell a 49 percent stake in a giant nuclear project in southern Turkey to Turkish investors in a preliminary agreement on June 19 on the sidelines of a nuclear conference in Moscow.

The stake in the Akkuyu project was sold for an undisclosed sum to the three Turkish companies Cengiz, Kolin and Kalyon, dubbed CKK as a consortium, which are quite active in construction and energy sectors. Each of these companies will have an equal stake.

The shareholders’ agreement will be signed by the end of the year, the consortium said in a follow-up press release. The sum of the deal is then expected to be revealed, according to the press release.

Turkey and Russia signed an intergovernmental agreement to build and operate a nuclear power plant in the southern province of Mersin’s Akkuyu in 2010. According to the agreement, Russian companies would own a minimum of 51 percent of stake in the nuclear power plant, marking a first in Turkey.

The respective parties are planning to start construction this year. ……http://www.hurriyetdailynews.com/russia-sells-stake-in-akkuyu-nuclear-plant-project-in-turkey—–.aspx?pageID=238&nID=114520&NewsCatID=348

June 21, 2017 Posted by | politics international, Russia, Turkey | Leave a comment

Call for Turkey to get its own nuclear weapons

NUCLEAR TURKEY? Imam close to Erdogan calls for weapons NOW amid tensions with EU, Express UK, 17 Mar 17  TURKEY should ignore rules set by ‘the West’ and build its own NUCLEAR WEAPONS – an Imam close to president Recep Tayyip Erdogan has advised – as the fallout between Brussels and Ankara deepens. By ZOIE O’BRIEN, Mar 16, 2017  The worrying advice has been called weeks ahead of a Turkish referendum aimed at giving more power to President Erdogan – and in the midst of a keeping fallout between Ankara and EU leaders.

Hayrettin Karaman, the Turkish AK Party’s go-to religious leader, attacked ‘the West’ in a letter which insisted Erdogan should immediately invest in weapons of mass destruction.

In the online post the imam accused Christian countries in the West of egotism and racism – stating the bad attitude towards Turkey has been “accelerated”.

President Erdogan is in the midst of a deep fall out with European nations including Germany and the Netherlands after both countries banned rallies and kicked out his ministers who had sworn to campaign for his referendum. Mr Erdogan retaliated by comparing them to Nazis and protests were held outside the Dutch embassy in Ankara.

The fallout threatens the £5billion one-for-one migrant deal.

But, if Mr Erdogan listens to his favourite religious leader, the tensions could be ramped up even further……..http://www.express.co.uk/news/world/780240/TURKEY-Imam-Erdogan-nuclear-weapons-NOW-EU-tension-Germany-Netherlands

March 17, 2017 Posted by | Turkey, weapons and war | Leave a comment

China, USA, Russia, Japan all vying to sell nuclear reactors to Turkey

nuclear-marketing-crapSealing the Deal: Turkey, China Launch Nuclear Cooperation Partnership,http://sputniknews.com/middleeast/20160901/1044832084/turkey-china-nuclear.html , 1 Sep 16  The news follows last week’s ratification by the Turkish parliament of the Sino-Turkish Agreement for Cooperation in Peaceful Uses of Nuclear Energy.

global nuclear conglomerate

Ankara has opted to cooperate with Beijing, ratifying an agreement which includes not only nuclear power plant construction on Turkish territory, but also joint nuclear power development with China and the US. The Chinese State Nuclear Power Technology Corporation will implement technologies obtained in collaboration with US-based Westinghouse Electric company. The potential technological tripartite arrangement could result in significant regional and global political clout, according to the Asia Times. After a successful contract with Russia in 2010 to build Turkey’s first nuclear plant in Akkuyu, Ankara made plans for a second plant, to be located in Sinop, on the Black Sea. Among potential partners were Japan, a plan which was suspended following the Fukushima disaster. Canada, China and South Korea were also considered as possible partners. Although Beijing’s financing made the Chinese option attractive, the Turkish government in May 2013 awarded the construction of the second Turkish nuclear power plant to a Japanese-French consortium.
Turkey nonetheless continued collaborating with China on energy-related issues. Beginning November 2014, Turkey and China boosted mutual cooperation, and that year signed an agreement of exclusivity with the Chinese State Nuclear Power Technology Corporation (SNPTC) for a third nuclear plant. In June, Turkish Energy Minister Berat Albayrak, during a visit to China for the G20 Energy Ministers Meeting, signed a memorandum of understanding for the mutual development of nuclear power technologies. In August, China’s deputy minister of foreign affairs, Zhang Ming, visited Turkey to express solidarity with the country’s elected government and to discuss energy issues. Ratification of a 2012 nuclear cooperation agreement with China came soon after. Currently, the Chinese State Nuclear Power Technology Corporation (SNPTC) is close to winning the competition to construct Turkey’s third nuclear power plant, slated to cost some $25 million and have a 5,000-megawatt capacity.

September 2, 2016 Posted by | China, marketing, Turkey | Leave a comment

USA’s nuclear weapons store in Turkey – a vulnerable target that should be moved

warheads nuclearLet’s get our nuclear weapons out of Turkey, LA Times,  Steve text-relevantAndreasen, 11 Aug 16 “……..After a faction within the Turkish military tried to overthrow the Turkish government last month, one of the many arrested for his alleged role in the attempted coup was a commanding officer at the Incirlik Air Base. That base — according to numerous media reports — is a major NATO installation hosting one of the largest stockpiles of nuclear weapons in Europe.

What if the Turkish base commander at Incirlik had ordered his troops surrounding the perimeter of the base to turn their guns on the U.S. soldiers that reportedly guard U.S. nuclear storage bunkers there?

What if anti-American Turkish protesters, believing the U.S. was behind the coup plot and that it was harboring the coup’s leader (ominously reminiscent of how Iranians felt about America and the shah 37 years ago) decided to march on Incirlik chanting anti-American and anti-Israeli slogans (as has actually happened) and taken over the base?

Leaving aside the coup, what if Islamic State were to attack Incirlik? In March, the Pentagon reportedly ordered military families out of southern Turkey, primarily from Incirlik, due to terrorism-related security concerns.

While we’ve avoided disaster so far, we have ample evidence that the security of U.S. nuclear weapons stored in Turkey can change literally overnight. Now fully aware of the dangers, the Obama administration should remove any remaining nuclear weapons from Turkey – and the next president should remove all U.S. nuclear weapons from Europe……..

Nuclear deterrence does not require the U.S. to store nuclear bombs in Turkey, or elsewhere in Europe. The U.S. has long-range “strategic” nuclear weapons to ward off hostile powers and guarantee the security of all NATO allies. But since the end of the Cold War, most military leaders believe that our short-range “tactical” nuclear weapons based in Europe have virtually no utility, for the simple reason that no U.S. president is likely to use them…….

storing tactical nuclear weapons in Turkey and in other NATO nations comes with the increasing risk of vulnerability to an evolving and more deadly terrorist threat, or to domestic unrest. In the wake of an incident at a nuclear storage site — for which the U.S. would be held accountable and suffer long-term consequences with allies — it would be difficult to explain that vulnerable targets were left in place due to a perceived need to reassure our allies. …..http://www.latimes.com/opinion/op-ed/la-oe-andreasen-nuclear-weapons-turkey-20160811-snap-story.html

August 12, 2016 Posted by | Turkey, weapons and war | Leave a comment

NATO’s nuclear warheads store sealed off by Turkish troops

text-relevantReports Turkish troops have sealed off Incirlik US/NATO nuclear air base,news.com.au AUGUST 1, 2016 TURKISH citizens and police have ‘surrounded’ the Incirlik air base it operates with the United States — and where a large stockpile of NATO nuclear weapons is held — ahead of a visit by a senior US official tomorrow.

warheads nuclear

Reports out of Turkey suggest all entrances to the air base have been blocked by heavy vehicles and police sent to secure its perimeter.

The unusual nigh-time move sparked rumours of a second coup attempt on Turkish social media, with concerned citizens rushing to the air base to join the blockade.

The move comes less than a week after a top US Army general was accused by Turkish media of ‘leading’ the uprising against President Recep Tayyip Erdogan earlier this month.

But Turkish Minister for European Affairs has since reportedly sought to reassure local media, stating the mission was just a “safety inspection”…….

The air base has been a central facility in US and NATO efforts against Islamic State. It also houses a stockpile of nuclear weapons as part of NATO’s deterrence force…….http://www.news.com.au/world/reports-turkish-troops-have-sealed-off-incirlik-usnato-nuclear-air-base/news-story/4d7bb16e4e86842218b5b0d7d70f582b

August 1, 2016 Posted by | Turkey, weapons and war | Leave a comment

Cyber dangers to Turkey’s planned Russian nuclear plant

cyber-attackTurkey’s planned Russian nuclear plant vulnerable to cyber threats, Today’s Zaman, 17 Dec 15  Turkey lacks the required policy tools, legal regulations and IT infrastructure to ensure that a planned Russian-made nuclear power plant in Akkuyu is well-guarded against a potential cyber-attack, according to a report released on Thursday that exposes a vital security gap amid the ongoing political crisis with Moscow.

In the wake of the month-long political spat with Moscow, the idea of a Russian-operatednuclear plant on Turkish soil brings to Turkish skeptics’ minds a number of questions from crisis management to security gaps. Russian officials moved to soothe such concerns over the planned nuclear plant, but some civil society groups and Turkish experts are still posing serious questions over the issue. Among the major concerns, the threat of a cyber-attack is considered the most critical, or Turkey’s Achilles heel, according to a report released by the İstanbul-based Centre for Economics and Foreign Policy Studies (EDAM)……. http://www.todayszaman.com/business_turkeys-planned-russian-nuclear-plant-vulnerable-to-cyber-threats_407281.html

December 18, 2015 Posted by | safety, Turkey | Leave a comment

Russia suspends work on Turkish Nuclear Station

Russia ‘Halts Work’ At Turkish Nuclear Plant, Radio Free Europe, December 09, 2015 Turkish officials say Russia has stopped construction work at Turkey’s first planned nuclear power plant, amid a bitter row between Moscow and Ankara.

Turkey shot down a Russian warplane on the Syrian border on November 24, prompting Moscow to impose economic sanctions on Ankara.

Unientified Turkish energy officials were quoted as saying on December 9 that Russia’s state nuclear company, Rosatom, had not terminated the contract for the building of the plant in the southern Turkish town of Akkuyu, and is reluctant to do so because of the heavy compensation clauses.

However, the officials said Turkey was assessing other potential candidates for the $20 billion project…….http://www.rferl.org/content/russia-turkey-nuclear-plant-work-halted/27417247.html

December 11, 2015 Posted by | politics international, Russia, Turkey | Leave a comment

Protests in Turkey against building of nuclear power facility

Protests as Turkey builds first nuclear power plant, DW 14 Apr 15  Turkey launched construction of its first nuclear power plant on Tuesday, which the government hopes will open a new era of greater energy self-sufficiency. But the ceremony faced protests from environmentalists. Dozens of environmental protesters converged on the iron gates of the site in Akkuyu, on the shores of the Mediterranean, as the launch ceremony ended.

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Video footage showed that they managed to lock official delegations, security officers and journalists inside the site. The protesters were only dispersed when a water cannon was used against them.

The government is hailing the power station – which will have four power units with a capacity of 1200 MW each – as a major development for the country – ……..

The Akkuyu plant has become a major issue for environmentalists, who have raised concerns about safety issues and the decision to build the power station in an area rich in wildlife.

Environmental campaign group Greenpeace in January lodged a complaint in court against the awarding of an environmental impact license to the plant and says it should not be built.

“Turkey is not ready to build nuclear reactors – the country is still missing the key pieces of necessary legislation,” Jan Beranek, the director of Greenpeace Mediterranean, told news agency AFP.

He said that the seismic assessment had been “totally inadequate” and accused the authorities of ignoring issues related to radioactive spent fuel which risked being transported through Istanbul on the Bosphorus Strait.

“There is no need for the country to set on a path of unpredictable nuclear hazards and this outdated, yet very expensive technology,” he added. http://www.dw.de/protests-as-turkey-builds-first-nuclear-power-plant/a-18383884

April 15, 2015 Posted by | opposition to nuclear, Turkey | Leave a comment

Russia’s economic woes delaying the build of nuclear reactors in Turkey

nuclear-costs1Russian Nuclear Plants in Turkey ‘Not Ready Before 2022’, Moscow Times  Reuters Mar. 23 2015 Turkey’s first nuclear power plant is unlikely to be ready before 2022, energy officials said on Monday of the $20-billion project that has been beset by regulatory hurdles and complicated by Russia’s financial woes…..Rosatom initially pledged to have the first of the four reactors in the southern Turkish town of Akkuyu ready by 2019.

A senior Turkish energy official said the project would not be online before at least 2022, given that ground-breaking has yet to happen. “The first reactor can be online at least seven years after the ground-breaking so the 2019-2020 date is impossible,” the official said…..

  • Russian-BearEconomic Worries

    Analysts say Russia’s economic troubles because of collapsing oil prices and Western sanctions over Ukraine may also have weighed on Rosatom’s finances.

    “The Akkuyu timeline was — and remains — completely unrealistic,” Aaron Stein, associate fellow at British defense and security think-tank the Royal United Services Institute (RUSI), said. “The issue has, in recent months, become far more complicated because of Russia’s economic deterioration.”……http://www.themoscowtimes.com/opinion/business/article/russian-nuclear-plants-in-turkey-not-ready-before-2022/517868.html

March 25, 2015 Posted by | business and costs, politics international, Russia, Turkey | Leave a comment

Renewable energy investment going ahead in Turkey

TURKEY INVESTS IN RENEWABLE ENERGY  http://www.dailysabah.com/energy/2014/09/08/turkey-invests-in-renewable-energy ANKARA — Turkey’s investments in renewable energy will account for 15 percent of the 141,000 megawatt capacity increase in Europe expected by 2020, according to a report by the International Energy Agency.

Renewable energy in Europe is expected to grow 0.8 percent annually until 2020, and nearly half of the growth in demand for power will come from Turkey, the report says.

Economic growth, an increase in income per capita, and rapid urbanization are the primary causes of the increasing energy demand in Turkey.

In order to meet some of the power demand in Europe, 141,000 megawatts of capacity increase in renewable energy is expected by 2020, according to the report.

In 2013, Europe produced 1,095 terawatt hours of electricity from renewable energy sources, accounting for 30 percent of total electricity production, the report says. And 1,400 terawatt hours of electricity production from renewables is expected by 2020, and renewables will make up 36.5 percent of total electricity production, the report says. It predicts that wind power will account for 40 percent of the production increase by renewables.

A terrawatt is equivalent to 1,000 gigawatt hours — or 1 trillion watt hours. According to the online Energy Business Review, 1.5 terrawatts is enough to run the London metro system for 10 years.

Germany, the U.K. and Turkey are expected to assume more than half of the renewable electricity production in Europe by 2020, according to the International Energy Agency. Turkey will account for 15 percent of the increase in the use of renewables, including hydro, wind, solar, bioenergy and geothermal, report says.

Turkey’s renewable capacity of 24,300 megawatts in 2013 is projected to reach 38,800 megawatts in 2020.

September 9, 2014 Posted by | renewable, Turkey | Leave a comment

Turkey now testing all food from Japan for radiation

Report: Turkey begins testing all food from Japan for radiation — Imports suspected to be contaminated http://enenews.com/report-turkey-begins-testing-all-food-japan-radiation-imports-suspected-be-contaminated
January 2nd, 2013 
 Excerpt From: Turkey to test Japanese products for radiation
Source: World Bulletin
Date: December 30 2012
h/t Anonymous tip

Turkey to test Japanese products for radiation

The arrangement will go into effect on January 1, 2013 and will cover all Japanese products sent to Turkey after March 11, 2011. […]

Fukushima Diary summarizes a Japanese-language report on Turkey’s move:

[…] They state imports from Japan are suspected to be radioactively contaminated.

January 4, 2013 Posted by | environment, Japan, Turkey | Leave a comment

The eternal cost of dealing with dead, but radioactive, nuclear reactors

Turkish nuclear power – an unwarranted venture, Hurriyet Daily News, ERHUN KULA, 12 April 12 “……Studies in France (available from the author), the most nuclear dependent nation, reveal that nuclear energy is more expensive then hydro and fossil fuel powered units, even when the end cost of nuclear power plants – which is decommissioning and storing highly dangerous nuclear wastes in repositories for thousands of years – is ignored. The most expensive and risky problem with nuclear energy is the safe disposal of the radioactive waste. It has to be transported over long distances, stored and monitored over a very long period of time.

A few months ago the Mersin Akkuyu Nuclear Electricity Production Corporation commissioned an “independent” engineering company, DOKAY, to carry out an environmental impact assessment of the proposed nuclear power unit. In its over 100 page report, DOKAY provided a “pleasing” document to its sponsor. As for nuclear wastes – the end product – only a few sentences are reserved, which is quite outrageous.

There are more than 400 nuclear reactors operating in various countries. A nuclear power station has 35-40 years of operating life. After that it must be dismantled and the area must be cleaned up (the decommissioning process). But so far, no nuclear power station has been completely decommissioned in the world. It has been estimated that decommissioning could last about 50 years and it would cost more than the construction cost.

One of the earliest decommissioning efforts is taking place at Dounrey plant, on the northern tip of Scotland. It started more than 15 years ago and we need at least 30 years more to finish the job. After that, waste must be stored in nuclear graves (waste repositories) for thousands of years. United States regulations require the storage period to be at least 10,000 years.

The cost of decommissioning and waste storage will fall upon future generations at huge costs.   My American colleague, Prof. S. Frachette,  argues that large quantities of nuclear waste is likely to endanger the health, safety and civil liberties of generations yet to be born.

Professor Erhun Kula, from Istanbul’s Bahçesehir University, researched economic and moral aspects of nuclear power in the U.K., the United States and Sweden, and has published widely in this field.  http://www.hurriyetdailynews.com/turkish-nuclear-power–an-unwarranted-venture.aspx?pageID=238&nID=18223&NewsCatID=396

April 12, 2012 Posted by | 2 WORLD, decommission reactor, Turkey | Leave a comment

Nuclear power for Turkey – pleases Russian sales, not the Turkish people

more than two thirds of the Turks do not want nuclear power. A government that constantly argues that it represents the will of the people is actually acting against the will of the people in this case….

Turkish nuclear power – an unwarranted venture, Hurriyet Daily News, ERHUN KULA, 12 April 12 On Nov. 9, 2007, the ruling Justice and Development Party passed a law in the Turkish Parliament to build nuclear power plants in Turkey, which started the nuclear ball rolling. The government argued that this venture would provide “cheap,” “clean,” “safe” and sustainable energy to help rapidly expanding and diversifying Turkish industry. Of course, none of these claims about nuclear power is true. In fact, it is extremely expensive, unclean, unsafe and unsustainable.  Continue reading →

April 12, 2012 Posted by | politics, Turkey | Leave a comment

Turkish govt asks Russian nuclear firm to ‘educate’ Turkey’s anti nuclear residents

Turkey surprises Russian nuclear firm with new conditions, Today’s Zaman,  ERCAN BAYSAL , ANKARA, 26 Dec 11 Russian firm Atomstroy export received two additional conditions from the Turkish Ministry of Environment and Forestry on their contract for Turkey’s first nuclear power plant in Akkuyu, on Turkey’s Mediterranean coast.
The ministry announced the additional conditions to the Russian firm in its response to Atomstroyexport’s environmental impact assessment (EIA) report. One of the additional conditions placed by the ministry asks the firm to persuade the residents of Akkuyu and be sensible to their objections regarding the nuclear plant. Continue reading →

December 26, 2011 Posted by | marketing, Turkey | Leave a comment

Turkish media now contradicting themselves on nuclear radiation and cancer

Turkish media outlets deny themselves: Atomic power station of Metsamor meets security standards, | Armenian news, 25 Jan 2011, Turkish media outlets widely covered on Monday that the toll of lung cancer patients has sharply grown in the eastern parts of the country where Turkey has border with Armenia. Turkish media experts supposed that the reason of such an increased toll was the radiation flow of Metsamor atomic power station of Armenia. “Anadolu” state-run news agency wrote that special detectors to check the radiation level have been installed in Igdir.
Today, Turkish media hurried to spread news which denied previous information. “Sondakika” news website writes that physician Bekir Dogan declared those detectors installed in different parts of Igdir have absolutey nothing to do with the power station of Metsamor……Turkish media outlets deny themselves: Atomic power station of Metsamor meets security standards – Society – Panorama | Armenian news

January 26, 2011 Posted by | media, Turkey | Leave a comment

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