Turkish Minister of Energy: Nuclear energy is an indispensable need

“Nuclear energy is Turkey’s indispensable need,” said Turkish Minister of Energy & Natural Resources Hilmi Guler on Wednesday.
Discussions on the building and management of nuclear power plants were concluded on Wednesday at the Turkish Parliamentary Commission on Industry, Trade, Energy, Natural Resources, Information & Technology.
Debates on the articles of a new legislation on nuclear power plants will take place at the general assembly following the Ramadan Feast (ending on Sunday, 14th).
Former President Ahmet Necdet Sezer has sent back to Parliament portions of a bill setting the legal framework for the country’s first nuclear power plants. The president has asked parliament to reconsider three articles in the bill. Sezer said the legislation fails to clearly name the authority that would oversee such public enterprises, the statement said. He also objected to a clause that says the Treasury will meet the cost of dismantling the plants if a fund set up for such an eventuality falls short, the statement added.
The whole bill will be reviewed once more as the new members of the commission asked to review the whole bill rather than only the vetoed articles, in order to be able to understand and examine all details.
“Nuclear energy is not an option. It is a necessity. Turkey is a strong state and has to be strong in the nuclear energy as well,” told Hilmi Guler.
Turkey has planned to develop nuclear power plants for more than 20 years, but tenders issued by the Turkish Government have been cancelled several times in the past, mostly due to lack of sufficient funding in Government budgets.
The law aims to establish the legal basis for the operation of nuclear power plants in accordance with the general energy plans and policies of Turkey. The Law regulates the principles and procedures concerning the construction and operation of nuclear power plants as well as the sale of energy generated from such plants.The Law also provides that the process for selection of the private sector company, which will construct and operate the nuclear power plant, will start subsequent to the evaluation of the opinions of the relevant ministries and public entities by the Ministry of Energy and Natural Resources.
The New Anatolian / AnkaraŠ