Türkiye's relationship with nuclear technology began decades before the Akkuyu project. Institutional research infrastructure, international cooperation and power plant establishment initiatives developed in different periods. This history is not a single project that progresses without interruption; It is a long process dependent on changing technology, financing and policy conditions.
1950s: Corporate beginnings
The Atomic Energy Commission was established in 1956. Türkiye became a member of the International Atomic Energy Agency in 1957. This period was the year when the institutional capacity for the peaceful use of nuclear information began to form.
1960s and research infrastructure
Çekmece Nuclear Research and Training Center began operating in Istanbul in 1962. Ankara Nuclear Research Center was founded in 1967. Research reactors, laboratories, radiation measurement and training studies were important parts of Türkiye's early nuclear experience.
TAEK period
Turkish Atomic Energy Corporation was established in 1982. TAEK has carried out research, radiation applications and regulatory duties under the same corporate roof for many years. With later reforms, research and regulatory functions were separated into different institutions.
Akkuyu field to intergovernmental agreement
The field license for Akkuyu was granted in 1976. Various tender and project initiatives were carried out in the following years; however, these did not translate into an operating power plant. The intergovernmental agreement signed between Türkiye and Russia on May 12, 2010 formed the basis of today's Akkuyu NPP project.
The main construction period of the first unit began with the pouring of the first nuclear safety concrete in Akkuyu in 2018. The arrival of the first fuel to the field was another important milestone in 2023. Having fuel on site is not the same as having the reactor in operation; Commissioning and licensing processes are also completed.
Today's corporate structure
The Nuclear Regulatory Authority was created as a separate regulatory body in 2018. TENMAK was established in 2020 by restructuring TAEK and other research institutions in the field of energy and mining. Thus, security regulation and research and technology development tasks were institutionally separated.
Program for the future
Current official plans include large-scale power plants and small modular reactor options in Akkuyu, Sinop and Thrace. Past experience shows that the difference between a goal and a completed investment must be made. The next chapter of nuclear history; Security performance will be shaped by financing, human resources and the long-term capacity of institutions.
Resources
- TENMAK, About us: https://tenmak.gov.tr/hakkimizda
- T.R. Ministry of Energy and Natural Resources, Nuclear Energy: https://www.enerji.gov.tr/bilgi-merkezi-enerji-nukleer-enerji
- IAEA, Nuclear Power Program of Türkiye: https://gnssn.iaea.org/main/tsof/Activity%20Documents%20%20Public/Training%20Programme%20-%20Interregional%20Training%20Course%20on%20external%20support%20and%20TSOs%20for%20a%20new%20nuclear%20power%20programme/05.11.2024/01-Nuclear%20Power%20Programme%20of%20T%C3%BCrkiye-V3.pdf