Grant Agreement Signed Between Türkiye and US for SMRs and 4th Generation Reactors

A grant agreement with a budget of approximately $2 million was signed between the Turkish Nuclear Energy Corporation and the US Trade and Development Agency, covering the technical, economic, and legal evaluation of SMR and 4th generation reactor designs.

Signing Ceremony Held in New York

In New York, where President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan was attending the 81st United Nations General Assembly, a new foundation for cooperation in the nuclear field was laid between Türkiye and the US.

While Minister of Energy and Natural Resources Alparslan Bayraktar accompanied the signing ceremony held at the Türkevi, TÜNAŞ General Manager Necati Yamaç and USTDA Deputy Director Thomas Hardy affixed their signatures.

New Generation Reactors Will Be Examined

With the agreement, small modular reactor designs from 4 US companies and 5 different 4th generation reactor designs will be evaluated in terms of technical, economic, regulatory, and licensing aspects.

In the technical study to be conducted, the design features of the reactors in question, costs, licensing status, supply chain and SWOT analysis, financing sources, and financial models will be examined.

Financing to Be Covered by USTDA

Evaluations will also be made regarding authorization, emergency response, design safety, site selection, and the legal framework, and technical reports will be prepared after all these analyses.

Within the scope of the approximately $2 million budget agreement, the USTDA will cover the technical study, which will last for at least one year.

Evaluations by Minister Bayraktar

Minister of Energy and Natural Resources Alparslan Bayraktar stated in a post on his social media account that they will comprehensively evaluate the applicability of new generation nuclear technologies to the country.

Bayraktar emphasized that they are determined to diversify the energy basket in line with the 2053 Net Zero Emission and full energy independence targets.