|
|
|
Turkey
|
|
Number of nuclear units connected to the grid |
Nuclear electricity generation (net TWh) |
Nuclear percentage of total electricity supply |
Turkey |
-- |
-- |
-- |
OECD Europe |
150 |
929.3 |
27.3 |
OECD TOTAL |
346 |
2278.1 |
23.1 |
Source: Nuclear Energy Data 2007 . The complete table for all OECD member countries is also available.
There are no nuclear power plants in operation, under construction and decommissioned. The Turkish Electricity Transmission Company (TEIAS) prepared a report in 2004, entitled “Electricity Energy Generation Planning Study for Turkey (2005-2020)”, and this report provides guidance for the decision makers, investors and market actors on the timing, composition and capacities of the additional electricity generation sources needed for the next 15 year period. According to this planning study, it is planned to add about 5000 MWe total nuclear capacity until 2015 with the consideration of high demand scenario, i.e. 7.9% increase per year.
The Law on Construction and Operation of Nuclear Power Plants and Energy Sale (Law No. 5710) published in the Official Gazette dated November 21, 2007, stipulates the procedures and principles regarding the construction and operation of nuclear power plants for electricity production and energy sale in accordance with energy plan and policies. The procedures and principles regarding the requirements to be met by the companies bidding for the competition, for the nuclear power plants to be constructed under this law, and selection of the company are defined in the regulation published in the Official Gazette dated 19 March 2008. A competition for selling electricity generated by nuclear power plants will be held by the Turkish Electricity Trading and Contracting Company (TETAS). The bids will be given until 24 September 2008 for constructing NPP units at Akkuyu Site. The bids will include an installed capacity of 3000–5000 MWe. The company who will give the most favourable bid with respect to energy sale unit price will sign a contract with the TETAS for a period of 15 years.
The criteria setting the general principles that should be complied with by the investors were prepared and published by the Turkish Atomic Energy Authority (TAEK). All bidders should meet the TAEK criteria before their bids will be considered.
The nuclear policy of the country includes research and development activities concerning the application of nuclear technology in various sectors such as energy, environment, human health, industry, agriculture etc. Research and development activities on nuclear technology, including nuclear energy are performed by the following organisations in Turkey:
The Turkish Atomic Energy Authority (TAEK) is responsible for determining the basis of the national policy and the related plans and programmemes regarding the peaceful utilisation of atomic energy; executing and supporting research, analysis and studies that might lead to nation's scientific, technological and economical development related with the utilisation of atomic energy; establishing research and training centers, laboratories, test facilities, pilot plants without electricity producing purposes wherever it is needed in the country; educating the personnel in the nuclear field and establishing co-operation with universities and related organisations; giving approval, permission and licenses related to the site selection, construction, operation of nuclear facilities; enlightening the public on nuclear matters; and preparing and implementing the decrees and regulations to determine the basis for the nuclear and radiological safety. TAEK undertakes research by performing experimental and theoretical studies at TAEK's research centers and by conducting projects with universities and other related organisations. The research infrastructure at the Çekmece Nuclear Research and Training Center of TAEK is especially devoted to the research and development activities addressing the issues for nuclear reactor and fuel technology.
The General Directorate of Mineral Research and Exploration (MTA) is responsible for the systematic investigation and research on all kinds of resources including thorium and uranium.
Research and development activities in nuclear technology are performed by the related departments of some universities in Turkey.
The Science and Technology Supreme Board (BTYK) is the main body that sets national policy and priorities for science and technology. The BTYK was established in 1983 and includes representatives from relevant organisations, including the Turkish Atomic Energy Authority. BTYK has given decisions on National Nuclear Technology Development Programme (2007-2015) in 2007 that is currently being undertaken by TAEK. As a result of this programme, a new nuclear technology center is planned.
The Turkish Atomic Energy Authority is closely following the worldwide trends and progresses in the field of nuclear reactor technologies and fuel cycle, and Turkey is participating in the International Project on Innovative Nuclear Reactor Technologies and Fuel Cycles co-ordinated by theIAEA. Additionally, TAEK participates and contributes to the studies and projects of the OECD/NEA working groups.
Turkey has an observer status for CERN, the European Organisation for Nuclear Research, which is the world's leading laboratory for particle physics. All activities in Turkey are co-ordinated and sponsored by TAEK. Turkey is the member of another important international initiative, the Synchrotron-light for Experimental Science and Applications in the Middle East (SESAME) and TAEK is the representing authority in the SESAME. The main objectives of Turkey are to establish qualified manpower by actively participating in the experimental programmemes in CERN and SESAME and to follow world-wide scientific progress.
Some universities in Turkey have undergraduate and graduate programmemes in nuclear engineering field. TAEK is training personnel in the nuclear field at affiliated research and training centers in co-operation with universities and related organisations in this field. The IAEA is one of the main supporting organisations for developing national manpower through training and fellowship programmemes.
Studies to build a nuclear power plant in Turkey were started in 1965. Later, between 1967 and 1970, a feasibility study was undertaken by a foreign consultant company to build a 300-400 MW nuclear power plant. The nuclear power plant would have been in operation in 1977. Unfortunately, because of the problems relating to site selection and other issues, the project did not come to fruition.
In 1973, the Turkish Electricity Authority (TEK) decided to build an 80 MWe prototype plant. However, in 1974 the project was cancelled for the reason that this project could delay the construction of a greater capacity nuclear power plant. Instead of this prototype plant, TEK had decided to build a 600 MWe NPP in southern Turkey.
Site selection studies were made in 1974 and 1975 and the Gülnar-Akkuyu location was found suitable for the construction of the first nuclear power plant. In 1976, the Atomic Energy Commission granted a site license for Akkuyu. In 1977, a bid was prepared and ASEA-ATOM and STAL-LAVAL companies were awarded the contract as the best bidders. Contract negotiations continued until 1980. However, in September 1980, due to the Swedish government's decision to withdraw a loan guarantee, the project was cancelled.
A third attempt was made in 1980. Three companies were awarded the contract to build four nuclear power plants (1 CANDU unit by AECL, 1 PWR unit by KWU in Akkuyu, and 2 BWR units by GE in Sinop). Due to Turkey's request to apply the Build Operate Transfer (BOT) model, KWU resigned from the bid. Although AECL accepted the BOT model, it insisted upon a governmental guarantee of the BOT credit. The Turkish government refused to give such a guarantee and as a consequence the project was cancelled.
In 1993, the High Council of Science and Technology identified nuclear electricity generation as the third highest priority project for the country. In view of this decision, the Turkish Electricity Generation and Transmission Company (TEAS) included a nuclear power plant project in its 1993 investment programmeme. In 1995, TEAS selected the Korean KAERI as the consultant for the preparation of the bid specifications. The bid process started in 1996. Three consortiums offered proposals in 1997: AECL, NPI and Westinghouse.
After a series of delays, in July 2000, the government decided to postpone the project.
Safety authority and the licensing process
The Turkish Atomic Energy Authority is the national regulatory body for all type of nuclear installations and nuclear activities, responsible for authorisation, regulatory review and assessment, inspection and enforcement, and for establishing safety principles, criteria, regulations and guides. The Ministry of Environment has also its jurisdiction over nuclear installations regarding the issues relevant to the non-radiological part of the environmental protection.
According to the Decree on Environmental Impact Assessment, the owner of a facility has to prepare an Environmental Impact Assessment Report at the planning stage and has to submit the report to the Ministry of Environment. The Ministry of Environment evaluates the report for the feasibility and environmental aspects of the proposed installation, and grants a permit to the owner for realisation of the project if the report is found satisfactory. Nuclear installations are also in the scope of facilities, which need this permission from the ministry, however the jurisdiction of the ministry is limited to the non-radiological part whereas the radiological part is under the responsibility of the TAEK.
The Turkish Atomic Energy Authority (TAEK) was established by Turkish Atomic Energy Authority Act No. 2690 in 1982 and replaced the General Secretariat of Turkish Atomic Energy Commission established in 1956. In this Act, TAEK is defined as a judicial organisation under the direct supervision of the Prime Minister and authorised for drawing up regulations concerning radiation protection, licensing and safety of nuclear installations and radioactive sources.
TAEK undertakes all regulatory activities concerning nuclear safety and security, radiation safety, waste safety and transport safety. TAEK is authorised to inspect nuclear installations to ascertain whether the conditions laid down in the relevant regulations and in the license are being implemented. Institutions responsible for nuclear installations subject to such inspections are obliged to supply all necessary information and provide authority officials with free access to their premises.
More specifically, the Authority is responsible for the following:
TAEK is headed by a President appointed by the Prime Minister. The President is the Authority's official representative and is responsible for implementing its programmemes. He is assisted by three Vice Presidents. TAEK has a Commission, an Advisory Council, several specialised technical and administrative departments and research centers
The Atomic Energy Commission (AEK), the main organ of the TAEK, determines the working principles and programmemes of TAEK, approves its draft budget and submits it to the Prime Minister, and prepares the decrees and approves regulations in nuclear field. The Commission also grants limited work permits and licenses.
The Advisory Committee on Nuclear Safety (NGDK) is established according to the Regulations on Establishment and Working Procedure of Nuclear Safety Advisory Committee. The members of the Committee are faculty and experts working in relevant fields and appointed for two-years. Duties and working methods of the NGDK is defined in the Decree Pertaining to Issue of Licenses for Nuclear Installations and Regulations on Establishment and Working Procedure of Nuclear Safety Advisory Committee. The NGDK evaluates the license applications and prepares the nuclear safety reports. The Committee studies the matters submitted to it by the Commission and makes recommendations.
The regulatory functions of the TAEK are performed by two departments, the Department of Nuclear Safety (NGD) and the Department of Radiation Health and Safety (RSGD). NGD, RSGD and Emergency Preparation and Co-ordination Unit (ADHK) form the regulatory part of TAEK. They are distinctly separated from other TAEK departments and units, which are responsible for functions relevant to the utilisation of nuclear technologies.
The main responsibilities of the NGD are to review and evaluate safety analysis reports and other submissions from the operators both prior to authorisation and periodically during operation; prepare new and propose modifications to existing regulations and guides concerning the safety and security of nuclear facilities and safeguards; and inspecting nuclear installations.
The Department of Radiological Health and Safety has regulatory responsibilities in respect of safe use of sources of ionizing radiation, radiation protection, safe management of radioactive waste and safe transport of radioactive material. Main responsibilities of the RSGD are determination of the regulations and principles of radiation protection, transportation and storage of the radioactive materials, licensing and inspection of radiation sources; and to perform other related tasks.
The management of the nuclear and radiological emergency is carried out by the TAEK Emergency Preparation and Co-ordination Unit. Turkey has installed its own Early Warning Environmental Radiation Monitoring System for early warning of nuclear and radiological emergencies. 78 radiation monitoring stations with online links have been installed at various locations throughout Turkey.
The licensing process of nuclear installations is conducted in accordance with the Decree Pertaining to Issue of Licenses for Nuclear Installations. The licensing process for nuclear installations is completed in three phases:
Phase I. Site Licence
Phase II. Construction Licence
Step I. Limited Work Permit; (PSAR)
Step II. Construction License;
Phase III. Operating Licence
Step I. Commissioning Permit: Commissioning of the selected plant components and systems of particular importance to the nuclear and environmental safety.
Step II. Fuel Loading and Pre-operational Permit; (FSAR)
Step III. Full Power Operating Permit and Operating License: Commercial operation up to the licensed full thermal reactor power.
However, for all these licenses and permits, the procedure is almost the same.
The licensing process, including the review, assessment and issuance of licenses/permits for nuclear installations, is co-ordinated by the TAEK Vice-President of Nuclear Power and Safety, and involves the AEK, the NGDK and the NGD.
Any application for a license should be sent in written form to the Authority accompanied by all necessary supporting documents such as a Site Report, Safety Analysis Report or other reports containing results of the inspections and/or tests performed at the proposed site or the installation. TAEK reviews and assess those submissions based on the established safety principles, criteria, regulations and guides. The decision is released to the applicant by TAEK. An affirmative notification is called permit or license (e.g. site license, limited work permit, construction license) and the conditions of the license/permit are given to the applicant as an appendix to the license/permit.
The TAEK is authorised to inspect nuclear installations to ascertain whether the conditions laid down in the relevant regulations and in the license are being implemented. Institutions responsible for nuclear installations subject to such inspections are obliged to supply all necessary information and provide the Authority's officials with free access to its premises.
The Authority's inspectors are responsible for checking whether the installation is operating properly and conforms to the regulations and operating conditions in force. Routine and non-routine inspections including siting, construction, commissioning, operation, physical protection of nuclear facilities, safety and controlling of nuclear materials and environmental protection are performed by Department of Nuclear Safety, according to the Decree Pertaining to Issue of Licenses for Nuclear Installations. The frequency of general inspections is twice a year, while the Authority may send inspectors at any time, without prior announcement. Inspection programmemes related to control services of transportation and storage of radioactive materials, and radiation devices and systems, are carried out by both the Department of Nuclear Safety and the Department of Radiological Health and Safety.
The control of nuclear materials provides assurance of Turkish national policies and international commitments relating to the non-proliferation of nuclear weapons. Turkey signed the NPT in 1969 and the Treaty was ratified by parliament on 29 March 1979. The treaty obligations are implemented by license conditions and by controlling the import and export of such materials according to the published Turkish regulations.
The IAEA and the Republic of Turkey signed a Safeguard Agreement on 30 June 1981. Turkey accepted the International Safeguards administered by IAEA, and at the same time, its subsidiary arrangements and facility attachments were enforced for all nuclear facilities as a non-nuclear weapons state party to the NPT. The Protocol Additional to the Agreement between the Government of the Republic of Turkey and the IAEA for the Application of Safeguards in Connection with NPT (93+2) was ratified in June 2001.
Turkey is a member of the IAEA and the OECD/NEA.
Main national laws and regulations governing nuclear power
Although Turkey has no nuclear power plant, many decrees and regulations regarding the licensing and safety of nuclear installations have been issued to date. The list of decrees and regulations are given below.
The TAEK prepared a directive on the methods and principles for licensing of nuclear power plants. This directive defines the priority of regulations as Turkish national regulations and the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) regulations as set out in the Fundamentals and Requirements of its Safety Standards series. However, for those issues that are not covered by the national and IAEA regulations the supplier (vendor) country's regulations should be met. The Decree Pertaining to Issue of Licenses for Nuclear Installations lays out the licensing procedures of nuclear installations, as well as requirements for authorisations. This regulation lists the activities that need TAEK authorisation as the regulatory body and the requirements for each authorisation, and sets out the procedures to be followed during authorisation. Furthermore, this decree also authorises TAEK with inspection of nuclear facilities, and sets out the basic responsibilities of licensee.
Regarding nuclear safety, the decree is supported with several regulations that are described below. These are mostly based on the IAEA Safety Standards Series documents.
Regulations concerning the safety of nuclear installations
Turkey's energy policies which have been implemented in order to promote the economic development and welfare of the country can be summarised briefly in five groups according to their priorities:
According to the electricity generation planning study which was prepared by t he Turkish Electricity Transmission Company (TEIAS) electricity demand is increasing rapidly. The projections clearly explains the need of utilising nuclear energy for the concerned planning period so as to diversify the energy resources by including a high base load nuclear capacity.
The main aspect of the electricity policy is to ensure security of supply, environmental quality and cost effectiveness. In this respect, the followings are the most important objectives that is needed to be considered:
At present, there are four main laws directly relevant to the government policy on electricity:
The Law No. 3154, describes the responsibilities and duties of the Ministry of Energy and Natural Resources. According to the law, the ministry was responsible from policy issues, security of supply as well as regulation, tariff setting, authorisation or granting concession. However, after the establishment of the EML, functions of licensing, tariff setting, regulation and other market operations are transferred to the Energy Market Regulatory Authority.
Similarly, in line with the liberalisation policy and steps taken towards a fully competitive market structure, the methods described previously in the laws No. 3096, 3996 and 4283 are no longer applicable.
The objective of the Electricity Market Law is to establish a financially viable, stable, transparent and competitive electricity market, which will function according to the provisions of private law and to ensure independent regulation and supervision of the market in order to provide consumers with adequate electricity of good quality, at low cost and in a reliable and environment friendly manner.
The Electricity Market Law and the complementing secondary legislation are in line, to a great extent, with the EU Directive 2003/54/EC on the Internal Market for Electricity.
The objective of the Turkish government research and development programmeme is to secure medium- and long-term energy supply through the clean use of domestic coal and renewable sources such as geothermal, solar and wind energy, and to encourage energy efficiency and conservation, particularly in energy-intensive industries. The main institutions involved in the definition of research and development priorities and programmemes are:
The Supreme Council for Science and Technology (the highest body for science and technology policy making) issues periodic plans for setting research and development priorities.
TAEK is the national authority responsible for research and development activities in nuclear energy and technology. The TAEK has five departments and three research and training centers.
The bodies of the TAEK are:
Waste management is limited to radiological wastes in Turkey and there is a facility for interim storage of these wastes. This storage facility has been operating since 1989 in the Çekmece Nuclear Research and Training Center (Istanbul). In this facility compaction, cementation and precipitation processes have been carried out.
Turkey's carbon emissions have risen in line with country's energy consumption. Since 1980, Turkey 's annual energy related carbon emissions have increased from about 18 million tons to about 66 million tons (2005). According to a study by TEIAS (Electricity Energy Generation Planning Study for Turkey (2005–2020), projected growth in annual CO2 emissions would reach to about 142 (low scenario) and 208 (high scenario) million tons in 2020.
According to the low and high scenarios, shares of coal utilisation for energy production in 2020 will be 19% and 27%, respectively. In 2020, share of gas utilisation for energy production is estimated to be 35% and 29% according to the low and high scenarios, respectively. The main drawback of fossil fuel utilisation is environmental pollution, especially through CO2 emissions. Nuclear energy is an important option and an alternative to fossil fuels in regard to preventing pollutant emissions, since there are no greenhouse gas emissions to the environment from nuclear electricity production.
Appendix 1 - International, Multilateral and Bilateral Agreements
Nuclear facts and figures for OECD countries
Number of nuclear units connected to the grid; Nuclear electricity generation (net TWh); Nuclear percentage of total electricity supply.
IEA Energy Statistics: Turkey
Data available in the following areas: Coal, oil and gas use; Electricity production, supply and consumption; Heat production, supply and consumption; Graphs of sectorial final consumption by source in 1973 and 2001.
Nuclear Legislation in OECD Countries: Turkey
Regulatory and Institutional Framework for Nuclear Activities
Each country profile in this valuable reference work provides a detailed review of a full range of nuclear law topics. These include: the general regulatory regime, including mining; radioactive substances and equipment; nuclear installations; trade in nuclear materials; radiation protection; radioactive waste management; non-proliferation and physical protection; transport; and nuclear third party liability.
Nuclear Energy Data
Nuclear Energy Data is the NEA’s annual compilation of essential statistics on electricity generation and nuclear power in OECD countries. The reader will have quick and easy reference to the status of and projected trends in total electricity generating capacity, nuclear generating capacity, and actual electricity production, as well as to supply and demand for nuclear fuel cycle services.
This is an edited extract from the IAEA Country Nuclear Power Profile of Turkey, compiled in 2003. The complete entry is available from the IAEA.
Last updated: 22 May 2008
Home - About Us - Work Areas - Data Bank - Publications - Press Room - List of acronyms - Search
