The Turkish Parliament unanimously approved a bill intended to set up the legal framework for the country’s first nuclear power plant, despite opposition from environmental groups, TurkishPress.com reported. The law authorises the energy ministry to run and finalise tenders for the construction of nuclear plants and decide on their capacity and location.
The bill now needs the approval of President Abdullah Gul, who took office in August. Turkey first announced plans to build a reactor in 1996, but the project was put on hold because of financial problems, and the chosen location, near the Mediterranean coast, was near an earthquake-prone region.
No specific sites have been chosen, but in the past the Turkish government has approved building its first nuclear power plants in Sinop, a Black Sea coastal resort city 435 kilometres northeast of Ankara. Local fishermen fear a plant at Sinop, with its cooling system, would raise water temperatures and harm the fish. Others were concerned that coastal residents already were affected by the nuclear accident at Chernobyl two decades ago. Earlier this year, thousands protested in Sinop after the government announced the region was chosen as a location for the country’s first nuclear reactor. Environmental groups are pressing the government to seek alternative energy sources.
Turkey has limited energy resources, relying on natural gas supplies from Iran and Russia. Turkey has said it plans to build three nuclear plants with a total capacity of about 5,000 megawatts to become operational in 2015 to meet the country’s growing energy needs.
Via: NewEurope
The bill now needs the approval of President Abdullah Gul, who took office in August. Turkey first announced plans to build a reactor in 1996, but the project was put on hold because of financial problems, and the chosen location, near the Mediterranean coast, was near an earthquake-prone region.
No specific sites have been chosen, but in the past the Turkish government has approved building its first nuclear power plants in Sinop, a Black Sea coastal resort city 435 kilometres northeast of Ankara. Local fishermen fear a plant at Sinop, with its cooling system, would raise water temperatures and harm the fish. Others were concerned that coastal residents already were affected by the nuclear accident at Chernobyl two decades ago. Earlier this year, thousands protested in Sinop after the government announced the region was chosen as a location for the country’s first nuclear reactor. Environmental groups are pressing the government to seek alternative energy sources.
Turkey has limited energy resources, relying on natural gas supplies from Iran and Russia. Turkey has said it plans to build three nuclear plants with a total capacity of about 5,000 megawatts to become operational in 2015 to meet the country’s growing energy needs.
Via: NewEurope
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