News

New Nuclear Projects for Turkey, Jordan, and Mexico

Last week brought news about new nuclear power projects from Turkey, Jordan, and Mexico.

Russia Inks Deal for Turkey’s First Nuclear Plant

Russia last week signed a $20 billion deal to build Turkey’s first nuclear power plant. The deal signed by Russian president Dmitry Medvedev and Turkish Prime Minister Recep Erdogan will allow Russia to build and own four 1,200-MW VVER units at the Akkuyu site on Turkey’s Mediterranean coast.

Under the agreement—which must now be ratified by both governments—Russian state-owned nuclear company Rosatom will create a subsidiary by mid-August, which will wholly own the project. Russia can eventually sell up to 49% of the company to other investors, but it will continue to hold a controlling 51% stake in the project. The reactors are expected to come online between 2016 and 2019.

Russia has long looked to build Turkey’s first nuclear power plant, but a Turkish court in June 2009 scrapped a tender won by a Russian-led consortium to build four reactors with a total capacity of 4,800 MW at Akkuyu. The court ruled that the price for the electricity generated from the proposed plant was too high, reported Today’s Zaman.

An international consortium consisting of Russia’s nuclear power equipment and service export monopoly Atomstroyexport, electricity export company Inter RAO UES, and Turkish Park Teknik won a tender for the construction of Turkey’s first nuclear power plant in June 2009, but the deal was later scrapped by Turkish authorities on the grounds that the price for the electricity generated from the power plant was extremely high.

Last week’s agreement was one of several deals signed between the countries. Among them is a cooperation agreement between Russia and Turkey concerning aspects of the nuclear fuel cycle, including the treatment of used nuclear fuel.

Sources: POWERnews, Today’s Zaman

Jordan Drops South Korean Bid for New Gen III Nuclear Plant

Jordan will weigh offers from Russian, Canadian, French, and Japanese companies to build a Generation III nuclear reactor that could help the country meet soaring power needs.

The kingdom’s Atomic Energy Commission last week rejected a bid from a South Korean consortium led by state-run Korea Electric Power Corp. (KEPCO) for financial, technical, and other reasons, reported the Jordan Times. It is now reportedly considering three technologies: Canadian AECL’s Enhanced CANDU 6 reactor, the AES-92 VVER-1000 reactor by Russian firm Atomstroyexport, and the ATMEA1 reactor by a French-Japanese consortium comprising AREVA and Mitsubishi Heavy Industries.

KEPCO and partners Hyundai Engineering and Construction Samsung C&T Corp., Doosan Heavy Industries, and U.S. Westinghouse in December won a $20.4 billion deal to build four nuclear power plants in the neighboring United Arab Emirates.

Jordan, which imports 95% of its energy needs and is one of the 10 most water-impoverished countries in the world, is seeking to build the 1,000-MW nuclear plant near the Red Sea port of Aqaba to generate power and desalinate water. The commission will now begin the year-long process to select a final bidder this June. The new plant is expected to be online within a decade.

Sources: Jordan Times, POWERnews

Mexico Considers Building 10 Nuclear Power Plants by 2028

Mexico could build up to 10 nuclear power plants by 2028 under a scenario presented by the nation’s Federal Electricity Commission (CFE) last week. The presentation included three other scenarios, from relying heavily on coal-fired generation to investing in new nuclear and wind.

The nuclear-heavy scenario proposes to provide nearly 25% of Mexico’s power needs by 2028 to reduce the country’s carbon emissions to 2008 levels, even with a surge in demand. The coal-reliant scenario calls instead for building 14 coal-fired power plants, but that scenario suggests that carbon emissions would double over the same period.

The country operates a single nuclear power plant at Laguna Verde in the state of Veracruz along the Gulf of Mexico. That plant began operation in 1990, after a costly construction period of nearly 20 years. Mexico’s new energy policy calls for a 35% increase in “clean” generation (it currently stands at 27%).

Source: Federal Electricity Commission

SHARE this article