Turkish parliament passes revised nuclear bill

09 November 2007

[Alalam News, Reuters, 9 November] Turkey's parliament has approved a bill allowing for the construction of nuclear power plants in the country. Legislators amended several technical provisions in the original draft, which was approved by parliament earlier this year but vetoed by former president Ahmet Nacdet Sezer in May. The measure sets out the legal framework for the plants and the sale of the energy they would produce. The bill allows the government to launch tenders for the construction of nuclear power plants, establish a state company to run the plants and to allocate shares to private sector companies. It provides for private institutions to build the plants if there is no interest from the private sector. According to the law, the qualifications for companies bidding to construct and operate the potential units would be published within a month. The constructing companies would also be responsible for dismantling the plants at the end of their operating lives. The bill will come into effect after approval by President Abdullah Gul, who replaced Sezer in August. In August 2006, the government said it planned to have three nuclear power plants with a total capacity of 4500 MWe operating by 2012-15, a $10.5 billion investment.

Further information

WNA's Emerging Nuclear Energy Countries information paper

WNN: Turkish lawmakers back nuclear
WNN: Turkey plans incentives for nuclear

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