Turkey has decided to build its first nuclear power plant at Sinop on the Black Sea coast, energy officials said on Tuesday. "The prime minister s office and the energy ministry have decided to build the nuclear plant at Sinop, taking into account such factors as geological faultlines and cooling water," an energy official told Reuters.

Turkey straddles seismic faultlines and is highly prone to earthquakes. Sinop is located in the central stretch of Turkey s lengthy Black Sea coast. The country has no nuclear power plants at present, but a preliminary study envisages the construction of between three and five plants with a total capacity of 5,000 megawatts.

The energy officials said Turkey s National Security Council, which groups the president, top politicians and army generals, would examine the issue of building nuclear power plants at its next meeting on Feb. 28.

Oil and natural gas imports, along with coal and hydro-electric power, account for most of Turkey s current energy needs. But a recent natural gas spat between Russia and Ukraine, Turkey s Black Sea northern neighbours, along with recent reductions in Iranian gas exports to Turkey due to cold weather, have highlighted Ankara s vulnerability to external energy shocks.

Turkey is also suffering from record high global oil prices. Previous efforts to build a nuclear power plant in Turkey stretching back 30 years have failed due to cost and opposition from environmental groups.

Turkey aims to put its nuclear power plants into service in 2012 under energy ministry projections. It has begun talks with leading nuclear power producers such as the United States, Britain, China and Japan on technology transfer and the costs. Officials say two consortia are likely to be charged with the construction of the power plants, but no more details are available.
(Planet Ark, 15/02/06)