President Erdogan Says To Continue The Nuclear Cooperation With Russia, President Putin Offers Space Launch

Presiden Erdogan bersama Presiden Putin saat peresmian pembangunan PLTN Akkuyu tahun 2018. (Wikimedia Commons / Kremlin.ru / Press service of the President of the Russian Federation)

JAKARTA - Turkey and Russia are considering a number of strategic partnerships, including fighter jets, submarines and nuclear power plants, following the meeting of President Recep Tayyip Erdogan and President Vladimir Putin this week.

President Erdogan met with President Putin in Sochi, a city in Russia located on the Black Sea side Wednesday, September 29. The meeting focused on measures that would deepen defense cooperation between the two countries.

"We had the opportunity to comprehensively discuss what steps should be taken in the production of aircraft engines, what steps should be taken regarding fighter jets," President Erdogan said, adding that other steps could include building ships and submarines, citing Daily Sabah, September 30.

Russia could also be involved in the construction of Turkey's second and third nuclear power plants, President Erdogan continued, while President Putin suggested developing platforms for space launches.

"We spoke with Mr. Putin about building two more nuclear plants, apart from Akkuyu. He agreed to deal with this issue," said President Erdogan.

Akkuyu is Turkey's first nuclear power plant under construction by the Russian state nuclear energy company Rosatom in southern Mersin Province. The two countries signed a cooperation agreement in 2010 and started construction in 2018. The initial unit of the factory is targeted for completion in May 2023.

The remaining three units will start operating by the end of 2026, at a rate of one unit per year so that they will eventually have a total installed capacity of 4.800 megawatts (MW).

Upon completion, the plant is expected to generate 35 billion kilowatt-hours (kWh) of electricity per year and will meet around 10 percent of domestic electricity demand.

To note, this nuclear power plant is predicted to have a useful life of 60 years, with an extension of another 20 years, and will produce carbon-free energy all the time.