Turkish oil refiner to consider SMR deployment

Scheduled to take about one year, the study is intended to examine various US small modular reactor (SMR) technologies and assess their technical maturity, licensing status, safety and security frameworks, fuel supply chain requirements, economic performance, and potential industrial applications. The study will also evaluate these technologies against environmental sustainability criteria, including resource efficiency, waste management, and water consumption. The study will develop a roadmap for TÜPRAŞ's evaluation of whether and how SMRs could be deployed in order to help meet its goal of becoming a carbon-neutral energy company by 2050.

"This partnership with TÜPRAŞ provides an opportunity to showcase trusted US SMR technologies while advancing Türkiye's energy security," said US Trade and Development Agency (USTDA) Deputy Director Thomas Hardy. "It will pave the way to strengthen Türkiye's goal of reducing its dependence on imported energy. It will strengthen energy security cooperation between our two countries and create opportunities for US exports that support American jobs."

The USTDA acts as the US government's "first mover" on critical infrastructure development in emerging markets, advancing shared priorities with partner countries while creating opportunities for deployment of US solutions. It funds up-front technical work that accelerates the development of infrastructure projects, helping them attract the financing they need for implementation and procurement of US goods and services. USTDA-funded activities are carried out by US companies.

USTDA said its technical assistance to TÜPRAŞ complements recent support for the Türkiye Nuclear Energy Company (TÜNAŞ), the state-owned company set up to advance Turkey's nuclear development, which aims to establish the conditions private companies need to deploy SMRs.

In September, USTDA signed an agreement with TÜNAŞ to fund technical assistance to create the regulatory, institutional, and financial roadmap needed for Turkish private sector companies to deploy SMR nuclear technology.

Turkey's first nuclear power plant, comprising four Russian-designed VVER-1200 reactors, is under construction at Akkuyu in the southern Mersin province. It is being built by Rosatom under a so-called BOO (build-own-operate) model.

Last November, Turkey's energy minister set out a target to deploy 5 GW of small modular reactor capacity - in addition to 12 larger reactors - by 2050. The government expects to rely heavily on private-sector development and investment in cutting-edge energy technologies and infrastructure.