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Political parties conceal stance on nuclear energy
The government has made the decision to construct three nuclear power plants that will be functioning by 2023. Two are already set to be built, one in the southern province of Mersin and the other in the northern province of Sinop. Energy and Natural Resources Minister Taner Yıldız earlier this year stated: “We are set on constructing these nuclear power plants. Nuclear energy is a must if we want to diversify our energy supply.”
Talks regarding the development of nuclear power plants were brought about by the AK Party leadership.
The current government has promised to develop a third generation nuclear power plant which will be more advanced than the previous first and second-generation nuclear power plants, prompting Yıldız to state: “We are not talking about a project that will be ready in a couple of years. The technology [nuclear energy] used in nuclear power plants 40 years ago is already out of date. We will use the latest technology,”
Additionally, the AK Party sees the development of nuclear plants as a way of furthering bilateral business ties with Japan and Russia.
Japan was set to build a nuclear power plant in the northern province of Sinop, for which an agreement to begin negotiations was signed between Turkey and Japan late last year. Following the nuclear catastrophe of Fukushima, talks between the two countries were suspended.
Although talks between Japan and Turkey have been suspended, the government intends to follow through with the nuclear power plant project in Akkuyu, located in the southern province of Mersin. Russian nuclear power plant construction company Atomstroyexport will construct the Akkuyu plant. Turkey has asked Russia to increase safety precautions at the plant in response to the Fukushima catastrophe.
CHP remains hazy on stance
The CHP has mentioned that the party is against the development of nuclear power plants. During his election rally in Mersin a few days ago, CHP leader Kemal Kılıçdaroğlu briefly suggested that the CHP would not allow a nuclear power plant to be built in the area.
Kılıçdaroğlu criticized the current government’s stance on aiming to build a nuclear power plant, stating during his speech in Mersin: “We have sun, water and sufficient resources to develop energy. Why are they [the AK Party] planning on building a nuclear power plant here? They signed a $20 million contract, and not one Turkish engineer will be working on that plant. Additionally, they are going to sell 1 kilowatt for 13.5 kuruş. This is the most expensive energy in the world.”
Most of the criticism coming from the CHP is about the Russian business alliance rather than the environmental damage caused by nuclear plants. And, apart from his one-off speech in Mersin, nuclear energy has not been a topic of concern at Kılıçdaroğlu’s other election rallies.
MHP prefers natural, renewable sources of energy
The MHP is not completely against the use of nuclear energy but rather believes that developing natural and renewable energy sources with resources currently on hand is a more viable option.
Public opinion towards the construction of nuclear power plants remains rather low as people are skeptical about the safety conditions and potential health risks, particularly after the Fukushima disaster in Japan and the Chernobyl nuclear disaster, which caused long-term health issues for many people living on the Black Sea coast of Turkey.
The main political parties have limited explanations of their stances regarding the development of nuclear energy, and in general very little attention has been given to environmental issues during election campaigns.
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