MOSCOW, October 15. /TASS/. The launch of the first power unit of the Akkuyu nuclear power plant (NPP) in Turkey is planned in 2026, the country’s Energy Minister Alparslan Bayraktar said.

"We are actively investing in nuclear energy, and together with Rosatom, we are building four nuclear reactors in Turkey. We are very close to the launch of the first reactor of the Akkuyu NPP as early as next year," he said at the Russian Energy Week international forum

Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan previously announced similar plans.

In total, Turkey needs at least 12 classical reactors and small modular reactors, Bayraktar said.

The Akkuyu NPP is the first NPP in Turkey being built by Russia’s state-run corporation Rosatom. The power plant will include four Russian-designed VVER generation 3+ reactors. Each reactor’s power output will be 1,200 MWt.

The 8th Russian Energy Week international forum is taking place in Moscow from October 15 to 17 at two venues: the Manezh exhibition hall where the main discussions will take place, and Gostiny Dvor where an exhibition of fuel and energy technologies and equipment will be held. TASS serves as the information partner of REW.