Newsletters
Energy and Natural Resources Minister Alparslan Bayraktar said 2026 will mark a new era for Türkiye’s nuclear energy ambitions, describing it as “the year of nuclear power.”
Bayraktar said one of his first official visits in 2026 will be to the under-construction Akkuyu Nuclear Power Plant in Mersin, where Türkiye is expected to generate its first nuclear electricity.
Speaking from Zonguldak’s Filyos district during a video conference with senior officials of institutions affiliated with the ministry, Bayraktar connected live to several strategic energy sites across the country, including the Akkuyu Nuclear Power Plant, oil production facilities in Gabar, and mining and resource projects in Nevsehir and Eskisehir.
Bayraktar said the production of first electricity at Akkuyu will be among the most discussed topics of 2026, describing the project as one of the largest foreign direct investments in Türkiye’s history.
“2026 will be the year of nuclear power. We will continue working day and night,” he said.
Bayraktar previously told Anadolu Agency in July 2025 that once all four reactors at Akkuyu are commissioned, the plant will meet around 10% of Türkiye’s electricity demand.
He said intensive efforts are underway to commission the first reactor in 2026, noting the project requires substantial financial resources.
During the video conference, Bayraktar also connected with personnel from the General Directorate of Mineral Research and Exploration (MTA) working on radioactive raw material exploration in Nevsehir.
He highlighted MTA’s long-standing experience and role in Turkish mining, referencing rare earth element discoveries in Eskisehir’s Beylikova district, where exploratory work began years earlier under MTA and later continued by Eti Maden.
Bayraktar also addressed staff at Eti Maden’s lithium pilot facility in Kirka, Eskisehir, saying the company would play a key role in 2026.
“Eti Maden will make its mark in 2026. I believe 2026 will be your year,” he said, adding that the company has significant capacity and potential to deliver strategic projects domestically and abroad.
Citing data from the Presidency’s 2025 Annual Program prepared by the Treasury and Finance Ministry and the Presidency of Strategy and Budget, Bayraktar said oil reserves discovered in multiple fields, including Gabar, have reached a total of 867 million barrels.
The discovery was recorded as the largest oil find in Türkiye’s history, with the annual economic value of Gabar oil estimated at more than $2 billion.
During his connection to Gabar, Bayraktar emphasized the government’s “terror-free Türkiye” vision, saying major national projects would continue to be implemented alongside improved security conditions.
“Together with a terror-free Türkiye and a terror-free region, we will bring many important national projects like Gabar to life,” he said.
The period referred to by the government as “terror-free Türkiye,” also described publicly as a second peace process, began in October 2024 following a call by Nationalist Movement Party leader Devlet Bahceli.
It continued with an announcement by terrorist organization PKK ringleader Abdullah Ocalan regarding dissolution and was followed by the group initiating a disarmament process in May 2025.
PKK members were later reported to have left Türkiye.
The PKK, founded in 1978, is designated as a terrorist organization by Türkiye, the European Union, the United States and several other countries.
The group has carried out attacks for decades, resulting in the deaths of nearly 15,000 civilians and security personnel, according to official figures.
Ocalan has been imprisoned on Imrali Island since 1999, serving a life sentence for founding and leading a terrorist organization.
Set as preferred source
2 min read
1 min read
