Abdullah Bozkurt/Stockholm
A Turkish cabinet minister has revealed that the government has contingency plans to take control of a Russian-built and operated nuclear power plant in Turkey if deemed necessary, citing national security and vital economic interests.
According to an official communiqué obtained by Nordic Monitor, Turkish Energy Minister Alparslan Bayraktar outlined how Ankara could invoke specific provisions in the bilateral agreement signed in 2010 with Russia. This agreement paved the way for the construction and operation of Turkey’s first nuclear power plant in Akkuyu, located in the Gülnar district of Mersin province, by Russia’s Rosatom State Nuclear Energy Corporation
The communique, dated February 23, 2025, details the Turkish government’s interpretation of Article 5, Paragraph 5 of the agreement, which governs corporate matters such as share distribution, management, investments and financing in the company responsible for building the power plant and operating it once it becomes operational.
The relevant section of the agreement states:
“Issues relating to the corporate governance of the Project Company, including but not limited to distribution of shares, appointment of directors, form of shareholders’ investment, restrictions with respect to the transfer of shares, and the funding mechanisms applicable to the Project Company and the Project shall be subject to the consent of the Turkish Party with the purpose of protecting national interests in issues of national security and the economy.”
Akkuyu Nuclear Anonim Şirketi (Akkuyu), the project company established in December 2010, is entirely Russian-owned. Its founding shareholders include Atomstroyexport, Inter RAO UES, Konzern Rosenergoatom, Atomtechenergo and Atomenergoremont — all Russian state-affiliated entities. The plant, with an estimated cost of $20 billion, will comprise four reactors with a total capacity of 4,800 megawatts (MW), supplying approximately 10 percent of Turkey’s electricity needs.
The communiqué sent by Turkish Energy Minister Alparslan Bayraktar;
Minister Bayraktar emphasized that, despite Russian ownership and operation, Akkuyu remains a Turkish-registered entity, headquartered in Ankara and governed by Turkish commercial law. “Regardless of whether there is a local investor among the current shareholders, our national interests regarding the company’s operations and management are safeguarded by the intergovernmental agreement,” he stated.
Under the 2010 agreement, Turkey retains the right to acquire up to 49 percent of the company’s shares. However, it has not exercised this option in the past 15 years.
The current board of directors includes chairman Anton Dedusenko along with members Ekaterina Lyakhova, Henri Edouard Proglio and Sergey Zvegintsev. The CEO, Sergei Butckikh, oversees operations. While all are Russian nationals, Proglio is a French citizen and a former head of France’s state-owned electricity giant Électricité de France (EDF) as well as a former board member at Rosatom.
The plant operates under the supervision of Turkey’s Nuclear Regulatory Authority (Nükleer Düzenleme Kurumu, NDK). Turkey currently has two nuclear research reactors and a nuclear waste management facility, with two additional nuclear power plants planned by the government.
To further emphasize how Turkey can control the company, Bayraktar reiterated that Akkuyu remains subject to Turkish regulatory oversight, including licensing, permits, inspections and approvals. “As a result, Akkuyu will continue to operate under Turkish oversight,” he said.
The communiqué also addressed supply chain disruptions caused by Western sanctions on Russia, which have affected the delivery of key components for the completion of Akkuyu’s first reactor. In particular, German export restrictions prevented Siemens Energy from supplying essential substation equipment.
To bypass this obstacle, Akkuyu signed a contract with a Chinese company for the necessary components. The Turkish minister also addressed these obstacles in his communiqué.
“Under the contract signed with Siemens Energy, some of the substation equipment was to be imported. However, due to geopolitical developments, a new supply contract was signed with a Chinese company. The equipment is being delivered in stages to the Akkuyu site for installation,” Bayraktar wrote.
With supply issues now reportedly resolved, Bayraktar confirmed that the first unit of the plant is expected to become operational by the end of 2025. The remaining three units will be brought online sequentially, one year apart.
As Turkey advances its nuclear energy ambitions, the potential takeover of Akkuyu remains a strategic consideration for the Turkish government amid shifting geopolitical and economic dynamics both in the region and globally.
If Turkey acts on this contingency, it will likely provoke the wrath of Moscow and could trigger retaliation from Russia. In 2015, after Turkish fighter jets shot down a Russian warplane in Turkish airspace near the Syrian border, Russia announced a series of economic and other measures against Turkey.
In response, an angry Russia began disclosing intelligence suggesting that the government of President Recep Tayyip Erdogan had secretly worked with the Islamic State in Iraq and Syria (ISIS) and smuggled ISIS oil to benefit Turkish companies. Erdogan, who had defended the downing of the plane and even vowed to take action against more Russian planes deployed to Syria, eventually felt compelled to yield to pressure from Moscow.
Erdogan apologized to Russian President Vladimir Putin and managed to salvage his ties with him.
Turkey’s relatively stable ties with Russia were put to the test again last year after Erdogan took action against Russia, seizing the opportunity while Moscow’s hands were tied by the prolonged Ukrainian conflict. He pushed his jihadist proxies to oust the Russian-backed Bashar al-Assad government in Syria. Squeezed under Western sanctions, Russia did not escalate the matter since it needed Turkey on its side, especially to undermine the sanctions imposed by the West.
Perhaps President Erdogan is looking for a fresh opportunity to take action against Akkuyu when time and circumstances permit in the future. In the meantime, as the minister revealed in his communiqué, contingency plans for such drastic actions are already in place.
