ANKARA, November 5. /TASS/. Turkey expects to meet 11% of its electricity demand through nuclear power plants by 2040 and considers such plants an essential component of its energy mix, said Turkish Energy Minister Alparslan Bayraktar who presented an energy development program through 2040 in Istanbul.

"Turkey must absolutely include nuclear energy in its energy mix. And this applies not only to Turkey. If the world is serious and sincere about the issue of climate change, nuclear energy must be part of our energy mix," he said, adding that "nuclear power generation is becoming indispensable, considering the demands of data centers and the growing need for an uninterrupted, reliable, and environmentally clean energy supply."

By 2040, the country intends to bring the installed capacity of its nuclear power plants to 10,000 MW, adding at least 5,000 MW to the 4,800 MW provided by the Akkuyu Nuclear Power Plant (NPP), the minister noted. "By 2050, this figure is planned to increase to 20,000 MW, with at least 5,000 MW expected to come from small modular reactors," he said.

Generating an equivalent amount of electricity at gas-fired power plants would require the annual import of roughly 15 bln cubic meters (bcm) of natural gas, Bayraktar added. "Based on an average price of $400 per 1,000 cubic meters, this translates to annual fuel costs of $6 bln. Amid the numerous crises unfolding globally, with energy supply routes often located within conflict zones, securing this volume of gas becomes significantly more difficult," he emphasized.