Current developments in the nuclear industry, which has entered a new growth period, were discussed at the 4th Nuclear Power Plants Fair and the 8th Nuclear Power Plants Summit (NPPES). Domestic nuclear reactor studies, small modular reactor technology and opportunities awaiting Turkish companies at Akkuyu NPP were shared.
The 4th Nuclear Power Plants Fair and the 8th Nuclear Power Plants Summit (NPPES), implemented by the Nuclear Industry Association (NSD) and Ankara Chamber of Industry (ASO) with the support of the Ministry of Energy and Natural Resources and TUBITAK, started online on June 1, 2021. During the two-day NPPES, current developments in nuclear technologies will be shared.
NSD President Alikaan Çiftçi and ASO President Nurettin Özdebir attended the event as hosts, Afşin Burak Bostancı, General Manager of Nuclear Energy and International Projects of the Ministry of Energy and Natural Resources, and TÜBİTAK President Prof. Dr. Hasan Mandal, OECD Nuclear Energy Agency (NEA) General Manager William D. Magwood, Akkuyu NGS Vice Chairman Anton Dedusenko and Rolls-Royce Small Modular Reactors CEO Tom Samson made speeches.
Nuclear industry enters a new growth period
Afşin Burak Bostancı, General Manager of Nuclear Energy and International Projects of the Ministry of Energy and Natural Resources, who stated that as the Ministry of Energy and Natural Resources, they have been supporting NPPES since 2014 and will continue to support it, said: “Today, approximately 11% of the electrical energy demand in the world. from nuclear power plants. A total of 32 nuclear reactors are in operation in 443 countries, and 19 reactors are under construction in 52 countries, including our country. On the other hand, it is planned to start the construction of 10 new nuclear reactors in the next 162 years. We see that the statements that nuclear energy has been abandoned are not true, and that the industry is in a new growth period.”
“We follow small modular reactors closely”
Bostancı: “Nuclear power plants have an important place in our country's energy strategy. In this sense, our country is planning to establish 12 nuclear power plant projects that will have a total of 3 nuclear reactors. The construction of the first 3 units of Akkuyu NPP, our first nuclear power plant, continues. We aim for the first unit to start generating electricity by 100, which coincides with the 2023th anniversary of our Republic. We plan to commission the other units at intervals of one year. Site selection and negotiation preparations for the installation of the other two nuclear power plant projects continue. On the other hand, we closely follow new trends for 4th generation reactors, especially small modular reactors," he said.
Akkuyu NPP has the capacity to meet 90 percent of Istanbul's electricity demand
Stating that nuclear power plants will play an important role in reducing our country's dependence on foreign sources for primary energy, Bostancı said: “If Akkuyu NPP were in full capacity today, it could meet 10 percent of our country's electricity demand and 90 percent of Istanbul's electricity demand on its own. In addition, we will get rid of 7 billion cubic meters of natural gas imports every year.”
Our domestic companies will also produce products for nuclear power plant projects in other countries.
Bostancı: “We think that nuclear power plants, consisting of approximately 550 thousand parts, will bring dynamism to our domestic industrialists and will make significant contributions to our industry's jump to the next league. We foresee that at least 40 percent of the goods and services supply at Akkuyu NPP, which is the biggest investment of our country in a single item, will be met from domestic resources, and we want this to increase gradually in our other nuclear power plant projects. We fully believe that our industrialists, who gain knowledge, experience and capability in projects, will also be included in international nuclear supply chains and will achieve success in projects in other countries. For this purpose, we are working day and night with our relevant public institutions and organizations and sector representatives.
New generation nuclear technologies policy report presented to Presidency
Making a presentation on achieving and co-creating the new generation of nuclear technologies, President of the Scientific and Technological Research Council of Turkey (TUBITAK), Prof. Dr. Hasan Mandal stated that the development of technology is a very important component and stated that they carry out research on strategic fields such as energy and nuclear fields.
Stating that they are trying to bring a culture of co-creation, Prof. Dr. Hasan Mandal stated that they focus on bringing together human capacity and infrastructure. prof. Dr. Mandal also said that the policy report prepared with the participation of all stakeholders related to new generation nuclear technologies was submitted to the Presidency about a month ago. prof. Dr. Mandal also shared that 9 main policy recommendations are included in the report, which brings together research infrastructure and human capacity and different cooperation opportunities.
Our Goal: To be a member of the 4th Generation International Forum
prof. Dr. Mandal stated that they aim to be a member of the 4th Generation International Forum on nuclear technologies (Generation IV International Forum). Stating that there is a homework such as preparing a policy report to become a member, Prof. Dr. Mandal said that they prepared it and now they are working on the roadmap.
Our companies within NÜKSAK will provide products to the nuclear industry
Ankara Chamber of Industry Nurettin Özdebir, one of the hosts of NPPES, said: “Since 2017, we have been trying to improve our industrialists' ability to produce in the nuclear field with the Nuclear Industry Cluster Project NÜKSAK. There are around 70 companies in our cluster from various cities of our country. In this process, we signed cooperation agreements and carried out joint studies with organizations in the nuclear field of many countries, including Russia, France, Japan and the Czech Republic. We are also working closely with the founding company of Akkuyu Nuclear Power Plant so that our local industrialists can become suppliers. As Cluster, we also provide important support for our industrialists to obtain an approved manufacturer certificate from the Nuclear Regulatory Authority. To date, 5 of our companies have received their certificates and have become able to sell their products. The application process of 5 of our companies continues. Our goal here is to be able to provide products to nuclear power plants that are under construction not only in Turkey but all over the world.”
Özdebir: “We think that we have an opportunity to be included in the group of countries producing nuclear technology and that Turkey should now be able to produce its own reactor. As Ankara Chamber of Industry, we are leading such a study. The reactor we are targeting is the 4th generation Molten Salt Reactor that will operate with thorium, which our country has one of the largest reserves in the world. We think that this reactor is easier to develop and build. We were attracted to the fact that it is a much safer and pressure-free technology than conventional nuclear reactors. The fact that one of our members has designed a heat exchanger that can be used in international nuclear class and molten salt reactors shows that we have come to a certain point in terms of design capability. On the other hand, small modular nuclear reactors called SMR are also being developed in many countries. We are still negotiating with some international companies on this issue," he said.
Middle East and Africa's largest nuclear industry event
Explaining that they held NPPES online this year due to the pandemic, Nuclear Industry Association (NSD) President Alikaan Çiftçi emphasized that they have turned NPPES, which has become the largest nuclear industry event in the Middle East and Africa, into an international business networking platform.
Nuclear Industry Association appointed representatives in South Korea, Italy and Switzerland
Nuclear Industry Association (NSD) President Alikaan Çiftçi stated that many institutions related to the nuclear industry in our country contributed to the localization efforts initiated under the leadership of our Ministry of Energy and Natural Resources: “NPPES provides serious opportunities for our industrialists to meet with business opportunities by increasing the interaction between the stakeholders. As the Nuclear Industry Association, we have made it our mission to increase cooperation with all domestic and foreign actors and stakeholders in order to achieve this goal. Our aim is to contribute domestically in the design, construction, installation, commissioning, operation and maintenance phases of nuclear energy projects, not only in the fields of contracting and procurement, but also in engineering, project management, consultancy and conformity assessment in domestic projects and increase our effectiveness in international projects. increase. Accordingly, we signed agreements of intent and cooperation with 16 different associations and organizations in the field of nuclear energy in different countries. In addition, our representatives from South Korea, Italy and Switzerland have started their duties on behalf of our association. We will share the concrete results of our activities in a short time.”
The low-carbon future will be thanks to nuclear power
William D. Magwood, Director General of the OECD Nuclear Energy Agency (NEA), said: “Turkey is dependent on fossil fuels to meet its energy needs. Turkey supplies a significant portion of its energy from coal and natural gas; but this picture will change with nuclear energy. Nuclear reactor constructions continue in Turkey and new projects are planned.
Stating that policy makers learned a very important lesson from the Covid 19 pandemic, Magwood continued his words as follows: “We all worked remotely, online trainings, online meetings during this period. We see an increase in energy demand on a global scale. This shows that we are much more dependent on electricity. This issue is very important both in terms of life and economic growth. Decision makers are trying to combat global climate change and billions of liras are spent on this issue. Nuclear energy is exactly at this point; provides an advantage in accessing carbon-free, clean, stable, reliable and cost-effective electricity. It is very important that it is a source that provides continuous energy 365 days a week, 7 days a week and 24 hours a day. The cleanest and most cost-effective path to a low-carbon future will involve renewable energy sources working alongside nuclear power. In Turkey, you demonstrate this approach thanks to new renewable energy sources and Akkuyu NPP.”
Akkuyu NPP is waiting for license for the construction of unit 4
Anton Dedusenko, Deputy Chairman of Akkuyu NGS Board, shared: “I am proud to say that during the pandemic, our nuclear projects continued as planned and even contributed to the smooth functioning, development and recovery of national economies. Akkuyu NPP is also making good progress. The start of construction of unit 3 in March this year means that full-scale construction work is currently underway on three units simultaneously. We are also waiting for a license for the construction of the 4th unit from the Nuclear Regulatory Authority (NDK) this year.”
Dedusenko: “When Akkuyu NPP is commissioned, it will produce approximately 35 billion kilowatt-hours of energy per year and meet 10 percent of Turkey's electricity consumption. Already the project is working as a population magnet, driving employment growth and local production development forward. It provides contracting opportunities for companies that directly or indirectly ensure the implementation of the project.”
Dedusenko said that we attach special importance to the localization of product and service supplies: “We estimate that the localization rate of work and material in Akkuyu NPP is around 40 percent. Today, there are more than 400 Turkish companies in the supplier list of Akkuyu NPP. With the potential demand for local products and development prospects for local businesses, the population growth in the region is expected to reach 30 people," he said.
Stating that the focus of the special sessions organized by Rosatom within the scope of NPPES is the opportunities waiting for Turkish companies, Dedusenko added that the participants will be informed about the purchasing system adopted at Rosatom, the basic rules and opportunities for suppliers.
SMRs offer a low-cost, safe and clean energy solution
Rolls-Royce Small Modular Reactors (SMR) CEO Tom Samson stated that they are continuing negotiations for the use of SMRs in Turkey. He conveyed that in today's design of a future for clean energy, Samson Rolls-Royce has developed a safe and investable small modular reactor with innovations using the most widely used PWR nuclear technology in the world. Emphasizing the importance of nuclear energy providing low-cost solutions, offering confidence, attracting investment and being scalable, Samson mentioned that they have developed technologies that meet these expectations. Emphasizing that scalable Rolls-Royce SMRs are a clean solution that avoids high energy storage costs, Samson continued: “One of the important features of Rolls-Royce SMRs is that more than 90 percent of the power plant can be produced in modular form in a factory environment that complies with high quality standards. The remainder will be completed under a temporary structure to be built on site.”
Stating that he believes that there will be demand from other countries, including Turkey, regarding SMRs that have started to receive demand in England, Samson said that in 2030, other countries will join our program.
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