The possible sale of a 49% stake in the Akkuyu NPP under construction in Türkiye is covered by the 2010 intergovernmental agreement on implementation of the project, Rosatom told TASS, commenting on a Bloomberg report that Rosatom is negotiating selling a share in the plant to foreign investors.
“The negotiation process continues, we are discussing opportunities with potential partners, including Turkish companies, Rosatom noted. “Under the terms of the same intergovernmental agreement, the selection of potential partners requires mandatory approval from the Turkish side.”
Earlier, Bloomberg, cited Anton Dedusenko, Chairman of the Board of Directors of project company Akkuyu Nukleer, as saying that Rosatom is negotiating the sale of a 49% stake in the plant worth $25bn to Turkish and foreign investors. “The project has faced delays and financing problems due to foreign banks’ fear of penalties from the United States, and alternative payment methods, including swap natural gas supplies, are being explored,” Bloomberg reported.
The first unit at the 4.8 GWe facility is undergoing tests prior to its planned launch. “The closer we are to the first power unit generating electricity, the more investors come,” Dedusenko reportedly said.
A previous attempt to sell the stake failed in 2018, when a consortium of Turkish firms – Cengiz Holding AS, Kolin Insaat Turizm Sanayi ve Ticaret AS and Kalyon Insaat Sanayi ve Ticaret AS – abandoned the deal, citing a failure to agree on commercial terms.
Akkuyu NPP will eventually host four Russian-designed VVER-1200 reactors. The pouring of first concrete for unit 1 took place in April 2018, for unit 2 in June 2020, for unit 3 in March 2021, and for unit 4 in July 2022. Rosatom is constructing the reactors according to a build-own-operate model. Unit 1 is expected to begin operation in 2025-26.
