International Energy Agency Chief Economist Fatih Birol: Nuclear power key to Turkish energy future

Turkey should build “as much nuclear power as possible” to help meet its growing energy needs, International Energy Agency Chief Economist Fatih Birol said in Brussels on Sunday night.

Speaking at the German Marshall Fund's Brussels Forum, the economist qualified his endorsement by saying that nuclear power should only be embraced “with attention given to seismic risks” that could unleash a Fukushima-style accident on Turkish soil.

Birol was unwavering in his endorsement however, saying that Turkey could employ the technology safely and use it to overcome its dependence on foreign fossil fuels. The argument that Germany and Japan are jettisoning the technology also didn't sway the economist, who was quoted as saying: “When we compare Turkey and Germany there are huge differences. In Germany, electricity demand won't even grow 1 percent this year. … But as for Turkey, demand is increasing very rapidly. From this perspective, Turkey must open nuclear power plants.”

His recommendation comes after Ankara's announcement this week that it will begin accepting bids for a newly proposed nuclear plant in the Black Sea province of Sinop. Birol's comments also come amid sustained criticism of Ankara's nuclear plans and a $25 billion nuclear facility planned for the southern province of Mersin, where activists say it faces an unacceptable risk of an earthquake.

Turkey: Is Ankara Going Ballistic?

Ballistic Missiles test fire

Yigal Schleifer    Eurasia.net

Although Turkey late last year indicated its concern about the threat of ballistic missiles by agreeing to host part of NATO's new missile defense shield, Ankara now appears to be moving past this defensive posture towards something more robust.

As Today's Zaman recently reported, officials in Ankara have said that Turkey will soon start developing its own ballistic missiles. From TZ's article:

According to information acquired by Today’s Zaman from sources within the Defense Ministry, Ankara will produce its own ballistic missile system to avert any threat directed against Turkish national security. The decision was taken in a recent meeting of the Defense Industry Executive Committee led by Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdoğan on July 17....

....Officials underlined that it is an imperative and necessity for Turkey to produce and develop such missiles to maintain its deterrent capability and to feel safe in an insecure environment. The Scientific and Technological Research Council of Turkey (TÜBİTAK) is now developing a missile called an SOM with a range of 300 kilometers. This will be a first step towards developing a ballistic missile with a range of 2,500 kilometers.

South Korea revisits Turkish nuclear power plant bid

Ümit ENGINSOY       Hürriyet Daily News

South Korea has decided not to require Turkey to provide treasury loans, which was the main obstacle preventing the two sides from reaching a final deal on Turkey’s second nuclear deal two years ago, a South Korean official said May 25.

Treasury loans are guarantees to finance well-defined and time-limited business when a country cannot fund the very high costs of a project with its own resources. Turkey’s program to build a nuclear power plant in the northern province of Sinop would cost between $10 billion and $20 billion depending on whether the plant will have two or four reactors.

Turkey and South Korea came close to an agreement on Turkey’s northern nuclear plant in November 2010, but could not agree mainly because of the treasury loans issue. Turkey then launched rival talks with Japan, but these were delayed last year because of the Fukushima disaster. The Fukushima Daiichi nuclear disaster was a series of equipment failures, nuclear meltdowns and releases of radioactive materials at a power plant, resulting from a very strong earthquake and tsunami.

Because of the disaster, Turkey is now engaged in competing talks with Japan, South Korea, China and Canada to build the Sinop nuclear power plant.

“Kepco is much keener about the Turkish deal than it was two years ago, when we could not reach a deal at the last moment,” the South Korean official said. “Kepco has desisted from requiring the treasury loan. It also has agreed to help Turkey find a loan in the international credit markets.”

Korea’s bid to build nuclear plant in Turkey resurrected

Limb Jae-un      Korea JoongAng Daily


Turkish minister opens door after Japan deal falls through.

It’s thought that Korea is going to get another shot at securing a $2 billion contract to build a nuclear power plant in Turkey after Japan pulled out of the deal on July 28.

During a visit to Korea last week, Turkish Economy Minister Zafer Caglayan signaled that the country is looking for alternative partners to build the plant. But the Ministry of Knowledge Economy confirmed that talk of the project was absent during Minister Choi Joong-kyung’s meeting with Caglayan.

Later, Caglayan was quoted by Turkish journalists as saying that other countries are welcome to participate in the nuclear project. The 5GW power plant will be constructed in the Black Sea region of Sinop.

The two countries have not officially resumed negotiations since Turkey chose Japan as the priority negotiating partner on Dec. 23, 2010.

Turkey may end priority talks with Japan on nuke plant-media

Reuters

Turkey may end priority talks with Japan on building its second nuclear power plant by the end of this month, a move that could lead to competition for the project with other nations including France and South Korea, Japan's Yomiuri newspaper said on Tuesday.


The Turkish government has told its Japanese counterpart that it would do so unless Japan clarifies its intention to continue talks by the end of this month, the report said, citing unnamed sources.

Turkish Energy Minister Taner Yildiz said earlier this month he expected Japan to make a proposal by the end of July to clarify the road map for a planned nuclear power plant to be built in Turkey.

Yildiz had said in March he hopes to complete talks with Japan on the plant before year-end. Ankara has been in talks with Tokyo Electric Power Co , the operator of Japan's crippled Fukushima plant, and Toshiba on building a plant on the Black Sea coast.

Source:
http://mobile.reuters.com/article/idUSL3E7IP3UP20110725?irpc=932

‘Nuclear plant can meet Cypriot energy demand’

Gökhan KURTARAN        Hurriyet Daily News and Economic Review

The construction of a nuclear plant in Northern Cyprus could help meet the island’s electricity demand, authorities say. Turkey is also working on an energy masterplan for Cyprus’ both sides, Turkish minister says.

Turkey’s bid to supply electricity for the whole of Cyprus has been based on two plans, building a nuclear plant on the island or laying underwater cables from Turkey, according to Turkey’s Chamber of Mechanical Engineers.

The claim has been certified by the Turkish Cypriot authority as well as the chamber.

Turkey has already set all the options on the table for meeting the energy needs of the island, Haluk Direşkeneli, a board member of the Chamber of Mechanical Engineers and head of its Energy Committee, said in a phone interview Tuesday.

“Russia’s barge-mounted nuclear power plant might be built in northern Cyprus,” he said, adding that such a facility would generate electricity “not only for the Turkish part [of the divided island], but also the Greek part.”

A nuclear plant on the island was also discussed in the Greek Cypriot parliament a few years ago, Direşkeneli said.

Saudi Arabia's Nuclear Ambitions Part of Broader Strategy

Saurav JHA     World Politics Review

Saudi Arabia's recent announcement that it plans to build 16 large reactors by 2030 may have seemed incongruous in the wake of the Fukushima crisis. In fact, it actually buttresses the Middle East's current trajectory as a major future market for nuclear energy and underscores the continuing attractiveness of nuclear power for industrially underdeveloped economies. Moreover, given the sheer size of the plan -- well more than $100 billion will go to the reactors alone -- Riyadh is in a position to set terms and use the project to enhance new partnerships while balancing old ones.

The kingdom's interest in nuclear energy is often traced to its rivalry for regional leadership with Iran and Riyadh's unwillingness to be outstripped by Tehran's nuclear prowess. But Saudi nuclear ambitions crystallized in the run-up to the 2009 Copenhagen Summit, when it realized that global efforts to control climate change could end up punishing countries that put off including noncarbon-based energy sources in their power portfolios. In April 2010, King Abdullah issued a royal decree stating, "The development of atomic energy is essential to meet the kingdom's growing requirements for energy to generate electricity, produce desalinated water and reduce reliance on depleting hydrocarbon resources." Left unsaid is that those depleting hydrocarbon resources would be put to better use generating export revenue to facilitate the modernization of the Saudi economy rather than meeting the kingdom's growing domestic electricity requirements. Saudi Arabia is at present experiencing 6-8 percent annual growth in electricity demand and will need to put in place 60,000 megawatts of new capacity by 2020. ...

Source:
http://www.worldpoliticsreview.com//articles/9186/saudi-arabias-nuclear-ambitions-part-of-broader-strategy

Turkey, Japan suspend nuclear plant talks amid safety concerns

Today's Zaman

Energy Minister Taner Yıldız on Sunday said negotiations between Turkey and Japan for the construction of a nuclear power plant have been suspended.

Speaking to reporters in Kayseri, Yıldız said talks were “affected negatively following a magnitude 9 earthquake and tsunami that struck Japan’s northeast coast” -- also hitting its Fukushima Daiichi complex. Following the tsunami, the Japanese government warned of a possible meltdown at the nuclear facility. Efforts are still under way to cool down reactors in a bid to avert further hydrogen explosions. Regarding the nuclear issue, Yıldız said Japanese officials have requested some time from their Turkish counterparts in nuclear talks as Japan is currently dealing with the consequences of its damaged nuclear plant. Japan has submitted a bid to construct a nuclear power plant in Turkey. Talks with South Korea over the construction of a nuclear plant in Sinop have recently collapsed since the sides failed to agree due to differences such as establishing “fair” electricity prices. “We have told our Japanese counterparts that we can definitely give them the time they requested as a matter of international courtesy,” the minister said.

TURKEY'S NUCLEAR PLANS: Turkey resolute on nuclear power plants, says energy minister

 AA

ANKARA - Turkish government is determined to continue nuclear projects despite radiation fear from a nuclear reactor in Japan that was hit by a massive earthquake on Friday.

"An earthquake occurred 16 km near the largest nuclear power plant of Japan. The system shut down automatically right after the earthquake and it opened when everything turned out normal. I can say Japan has tested itself. Nuclear power plant projects will continue in Turkey," Turkish Energy Minister Taner Yildiz said on Saturday. 

Turkey plans to operate two or three nuclear power plants by 2023. In May 2010, Turkey and Russia signed a $20-bln deal for construction of Turkey's first nuclear power plant in Akkuyu, situated on the Mediterranean coast. Turkey also engaged in nuclear talks with Japan in November 2010 after a failure with South Korea's state nuclear company KEPCO for the construction of the second plant on country's northern coast.

Japan bank to support Toshiba in Turkish nuclear plant bid

Bloomberg

The Japan Bank for International Cooperation, or JBIC, could offer loans to Toshiba, which has exclusive rights to negotiate the building of a nuclear power station in Turkey, according to an official at the state-owned bank.

Toshiba, the biggest Japanese maker of power generation machinery, along with the country’s Trade Ministry, won the right last year to negotiate exclusively with Turkey until March 31 to build a power plant on the Black Sea coast, which may cost as much as $20 billion.

The talks commenced after Turkey failed to conclude negotiations with a group led by Korea Electric because of differences over ownership structure and power pricing.

Japan is pushing companies such as Toshiba and Hitachi to compete with rivals including Korea Electric Power Corp. and Areva for overseas nuclear projects to aid the nation’s economic recovery.
“JBIC’s assistance is part of a long-term government plan to boost the success rate for Japanese firms,” said Daniel Aldrich, a political science professor at Purdue University in Indiana. “France and South Korea certainly want to continue their penetration of foreign markets in nuclear technology.”

Toshiba upbeat on Turkey nuclear deal

Financial Times     

Toshiba, the Japanese electronics and engineering group, says it is confident that it will seal a deal to build a nuclear power plant on Turkey’s Black Sea coast, after talks between the Turkish government and South Korean reactor builders broke down last year.

Norio Sasaki, Toshiba president, told the FT a deal now hinged mainly on the provision of long-term risk insurance by the Japanese government. Tokyo has been working to strengthen financial support for its private sector nuclear groups to help them compete with state-backed manufacturers in Korea and Russia.

Source:
http://www.ft.com/cms/s/f4161b80-3222-11e0-a820-00144feabdc0,Authorised=false.html?_i_location=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.ft.com%2Fcms%2Fs%2F0%2Ff4161b80-3222-11e0-a820-00144feabdc0.html%3Fftcamp%3Drss&_i_referer=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.hurriyet.com.tr%2Fekonet%2F16956919.asp%3Fgid%3D303&ftcamp=rss#axzz1DBBFSfme

France joins nuclear competition in Turkey

Hurriyet Daily News and Economic Review

France is interested in building a nuclear power plant in Turkey and talks are being held with the country, Turkey's minister of energy said Friday.

“We have been considering the applications and have already established three separate teams working on France, Japan and Russia,” Energy Minister Taner Yıldız told reporters in Ankara.

French companies such as Areva, GDF and EDF have proposals on the issue, though the government has preferred to talk with Japan, Yıldız said, adding that the talks are going "in a very positive direction.”

The government does not foresee a new price increase in the near future for natural gas or electricity, Yıldız said. Noting the global volatility in prices of oil and natural gas, Yıldız said crude oil traded at nearly $75 per barrel a year ago, whereas today it trades at around $95.

Saying there is no political intervention on energy prices in Turkey, Yıldız said complaints about over-taxation should be directed to the relevant ministers.

On another note, the minister said no payment would be made to Iran within the context of “buy or pay” natural gas deals. However, some payment will be made to Russia due to “buy or pay” agreements in place, he said.

Source: 
http://www.hurriyetdailynews.com/n.php?n=france-joins-the-nuclear-competition-deal-in-turkey-2011-01-07