Part 2 of 3 Parts (Please read Part 1 first)
     Since the Akkuyu nuclear power plant project was announced, supporters of nuclear energy in Turkey have said that it would help eliminate Turkey’s dependency on foreign energy suppliers. They emphasize that it is clean energy and will help mitigate climate change. Some international nuclear experts do not agree with the Turkish supporters.
     Henry D Sokolski is the executive director of the Nonproliferation Policy Education Center in Washington, D.C. He believes that the financing model applied to Akkuyu could actually increase Turkey’s dependency on Russia. The Akkuyu project was fully financed by Russia. Sokolski said that Akkuyu is a very intensive capital investment. He raised the question of why Turkey front-loaded such debt while there are alternative and cheaper energy resources being developed.
     Turkey is not the only country in the Middle East which is seeking to develop nuclear energy. Both Saudi Arabia and Jordan are in the process of considering the establishment of nuclear power plants. Egypt and the United Arab Emirates (UAE) are working on nuclear energy projects. Israel is believed to have a nuclear arsenal and Iran appears to have the ability to develop nuclear weapons if they desire them.
     Sokolski has warned Turkey about the regional challenges involved in their nuclear energy projects. He said, “Your neighborhood is dangerous. People are fighting. Nuclear reactors in a shooting war can be targets.” He added that missiles and drones could destroy critical electrical supply lines that feed reactors. Emergency generators, nuclear control rooms, reactor containment buildings and spent nuclear fuel storage buildings could all be damaged or destroyed. He noted that “These kinds of strikes can make people more anxious and result in radiological releases, like Chernobyl or worse.”
     Turkey has been involved in a war against the PKK which is the Kurdistan Workers’ Party which is outlawed in Turkey. The PKK is listed as a “terrorist” organization by the U.S., the European Union, and Turkey. So far, it is estimated that over forty thousand people have been killed in the conflict. Now there are news reports that suggest that armed groups in northern Iraq are in the process of constructing armed drones that may be used against Turkey.
     Turkey is also involved in conflicts in Syria and the eastern Mediterranean. The Iran-aligned Houthi rebels in Yemen have targeted Saudi and Emirati targets with drones and missiles. There are armed groups such as the Syrian National Defense Forces, who are supportive of Syria’s President Bashar al-Assad’s government. They could stage attacks that mimic the Houthi attacks.
     The twenty-billion dollar Akkuyu nuclear power plant has also raised other concerning issues. The location for the plant is controversial because it is in an earthquake-prone area. Other critics have raised environmental concerns.
      On the other hand, some analysts are supporters of the Akkuyu project. Sinan Ulgen is director of the Istanbul-based Centre for Economics and Foreign Policy Studies. He said, “What is important is to look at successful examples and what is being built in Turkey is a new-generation, high-technology compound.” He also said that Akkuyu was designed based on valid risk analysis and he believes that improvised drones will not be a threat to the facility. Ulgen did express concern about the way the project will be managed. Rosatom is a state-owned company and if there are any problems with nuclear regulation, they could become serious bilateral issues. In defense of the agreement with Russia, a senior Turkish energy official said that when Turkey made the decision to construct the Akkuyu plant, a fully Russia-financed model was the only realistic option.
Please read Part 3 next