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Over 2,000 Turkish companies have supplied goods and services worth $10 billion to the Akkuyu Nuclear Power Plant (NPP), a Turkish industry leader said.
The project, located in Mersin Province on Türkiye’s Mediterranean coast, is the country’s first nuclear facility and the largest single foreign direct investment in its history.
Once all four units of the plant are in operation, Akkuyu is expected to cover about 10% of the country’s electricity demand.
Association President Alikaan Ciftci said during a site visit on Wednesday that the involvement of domestic firms demonstrates the growing capacity of Türkiye’s nuclear industry.
Ciftci described Akkuyu as "one of the most strategic steps on Türkiye’s path toward energy independence," adding that the expertise gained in Akkuyu would directly support upcoming nuclear projects planned in Thrace, Sinop, and in the field of small modular reactors.
He also recalled that Türkiye has pledged to reach carbon neutrality by 2053, with nuclear energy expected to provide 20 gigawatts (GW) of capacity.
"About 15 gigawatts will come from conventional nuclear plants such as Akkuyu and the future Sinop and Thrace facilities, while 5 gigawatts are planned from new-generation small modular reactors," Ciftci told state-run Anadolu Agency (AA).
He also emphasized that the domestic industry would play a central role in reaching this target, carrying forward the skills developed in Akkuyu.
Ciftci underlined that nuclear power not only contributes to energy security but also creates export opportunities.
"Some of our local manufacturers producing equipment for Akkuyu have already become exporters," he noted.
"Having gained this role in the very first plant, our domestic industry can move on to export in the second and third facilities as well as in small modular reactor projects. This potential is clearly within reach."
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