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Nuclear energy presents a significant opportunity for Türkiye to shape its own energy future and support industrial growth, the World Nuclear Association (WNA) director general said.
Sama Bilbao y Leon told state-run Anadolu Agency (AA) during the World Nuclear Week event on Friday in Moscow that the global nuclear energy capacity target of tripling by 2050 will largely be achieved.
"Nuclear energy offers a great opportunity to develop national and domestic programs, you know the technology, you prepare your workforce," Bilbao y Leon said.
"In a country like Türkiye, where there are many companies working with us, nuclear energy offers a great opportunity to shape your own energy future, to really be able to make decisions, to be independent and to have sufficient energy to support the industrial growth that Türkiye aims for," she noted.
Bilbao y Leon said the growth process will not be linear, with the first five years expected to see slower progress, particularly in North America and Europe where capacity redevelopment is underway. She noted that China, India and Asia overall are experiencing rapid growth in nuclear capacity.
She emphasized nuclear energy's role in energy security amid a complex geopolitical and geoeconomic environment.
"Every country is trying to be as independent and autonomous as possible, especially regarding energy," Bilbao y Leon said, adding, "This is one of the very valid reasons to consider nuclear energy."
She said uranium and technology are available in many parts of the world, allowing collaboration with multiple countries. The World Nuclear Association brings together 240 companies from 44 countries to work together and share best practices and information, she added.
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Regarding Türkiye's first nuclear power plant, the Akkuyu Nuclear Power Plant (NPP), Bilbao y Leon said it will be a game-changer for the country.
"When completed, it will provide approximately 10% of electricity," she said.
"This will be a game-changing opportunity for Türkiye, not only in terms of carbon-free electricity but also in terms of socioeconomic development and accelerating industrialization," she added.
Bilbao y Leon said she was impressed by the scale of the site and the diversity of contractor companies involved during her visit to Akkuyu NPP.
On small modular reactors, Bilbao y Leon said the distribution model, rather than size, makes these reactors a significant opportunity.
"These reactors will be quite standard. They will be modular and will probably be produced in series in factories," she said.
"So there will be a transition from huge nuclear power plants, which are massive infrastructure projects like Akkuyu, to a 'product.' With minimal infrastructure, you can almost transport this small modular reactor by truck and send it to the place where it will be installed, and put it into operation with very limited infrastructure development," she noted.
She noted that SMRs can be more cost-effective due to their smaller size and can be commissioned in shorter timeframes compared to large nuclear power plants.
Bilbao y Leon said SMRs can be adapted for industrial applications in some cases, such as in remote regions where mining or industrial facilities exist and transporting the grid is not feasible, or in industrial zones where steam and electricity can be used efficiently.
She said consideration has begun for using these reactors in areas such as artificial intelligence, metallurgy and oil and gas.
"However, we must not forget that if we are to triple global nuclear capacity, large reactors will continue to be built in many cases," Bilbao y Leon said.
"Because when it is necessary to add large amounts of capacity, small steps will not be enough. So there will be a combination of both models," she concluded.
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