SOCHI, September 4. /TASS/. The first unit of the Akkuyu nuclear power plant (NPP) in Turkey is scheduled to be launched next year, and there are opportunities for extending bilateral cooperation in this field, Russian President Vladimir Putin said opening talks with Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan.

"The construction of the Akkuyu nuclear power plant continues, and Turkey has officially joined the international club of nuclear states with the delivery of the first batch of Russian nuclear fuel to Akkuyu. If all goes as planned, we will launch the first unit next year. There are also some intriguing possibilities for continuing our collaboration," Putin stated.

Akkuyu is the first nuclear power plant being built in Turkey. The project is being implemented in accordance with an inter-governmental agreement that Russia and Turkey signed in 2010. The nuclear station will house four Russian-designed generation 3+ VVER reactors. Each reactor’s power output will stand at 1,200 MW. Once commissioned and brought to full capacity, the NPP will produce about 35 bln kWh per year. The project is currently being funded completely by Russia.