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Türkiye and the U.S. signed a new nuclear energy cooperation agreement in New York on Monday to assess small modular reactor (SMR) and fourth-generation reactor technologies for potential use in Türkiye.
The project was signed between Türkiye Nuclear Energy Co. (TUNAS), which is responsible for developing new nuclear power plant projects, and the U.S. Trade and Development Agency (USTDA). Under the agreement, technical reports will be prepared on SMR designs and fourth-generation reactor designs developed by U.S. companies.
The study covers four SMR designs from U.S. companies and five different fourth-generation reactor designs. The technologies will be assessed on technical, economic, regulatory and licensing grounds.
The technical assessment will examine reactor designs, costs, licensing status, supply chains and SWOT analyses, along with financing sources and financial models. The work will also cover authorization procedures, emergency response, design safety, site selection and the applicable legal framework. Technical reports will be prepared following the assessments.
The agreement has a budget of approximately $2 million, with USTDA covering the cost of the technical study, which is expected to run for at least one year.
The signing took place at the Turkish House in New York as President Recep Tayyip Erdogan attended the 81st United Nations General Assembly. Türkiye's Energy and Natural Resources Minister Alparslan Bayraktar attended the ceremony, while TUNAS General Manager Necati Yamac and USTDA Deputy Director Thomas R. Hardy signed the agreement.
Bayraktar said Türkiye remained committed to diversifying its energy mix as it pursued its 2053 net-zero emissions and full energy independence targets. He added that the country would continue assessing alternatives alongside large-scale nuclear power plants to build a strong and modern energy infrastructure.
The latest agreement builds on a strategic civil nuclear cooperation memorandum signed last year during a meeting between Erdogan and U.S. President Donald Trump at the White House. The framework supports potential cooperation between Türkiye and U.S. companies in the nuclear sector.
Türkiye is also exploring the use of its thorium resources in next-generation nuclear technologies, including molten salt reactors (MSRs), which are among the reactor concepts being developed as part of the fourth generation of nuclear technology.
Under a memorandum signed on Sept. 7 with Denmark-based Copenhagen Atomics, Türkiye's Energy, Nuclear and Mining Research Institute (TENMAK) is working with the company on research and development aimed at producing thorium compounds in Türkiye for use in molten salt reactors.
The cooperation will also assess Copenhagen Atomics' modular molten salt reactor technology against Türkiye's research infrastructure, workforce and industrial capabilities.
A 2014 joint study by the OECD Nuclear Energy Agency and the International Atomic Energy Agency estimated global thorium reserves at approximately 6.36 million tons, including 374,000 tons in Türkiye.
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