Turkey is aiming for 10 GW of nuclear capacity by 2040. Energy Minister Alparslan Bayraktar announced the target in Istanbul while presenting the “National Energy 2040” plan, which mobilizes $500 billion in investment.
The target implies at least 5 GW on top of the 4.8 GW Akkuyu plant, already under construction and in the start-up phase of its first reactor since July 2025. The rest will come from the Sinop and Thrace plants and from small modular reactors. For 2050 the goal rises to 20 GW, with at least 5 GW to be provided by SMRs.
Nuclear will supply 11% of electricity demand in 2040. The plan projects total consumption of 680 TWh, compared with 365 TWh last year, with electrification rising to 36% of total energy demand. Decisions on the two new plants at Sinop and in Thrace are expected in 2027, with the aim of connecting them to the grid by 2040.
Bayraktar explained the choice in blunt terms: Turkey must include nuclear in its mix, and the same applies to the rest of the world if climate change is to be tackled seriously. The minister also cited data center demand and the need for continuous, reliable and clean supply.
There is also an economic dimension. Turkey’s energy import bill has hovered between $65 billion and $70 billion a year for years, and the plan aims to reduce it while maintaining security of supply. Alongside nuclear, the document sets targets of 175 GW of wind and solar and 6 GW of offshore wind, with the first auction due in April. The five state-owned energy companies will invest $210 billion.
The supplier landscape is varied. Akkuyu is a Russian project by Rosatom, with more than 73% of construction spending going to Turkish suppliers. For Sinop, a Korean or US vendor is under discussion, while Thrace is expected to use Chinese technology. On the SMR front, companies from the United States, the United Kingdom, France and Canada are in talks.
With multiple supply chains in play, Ankara can negotiate technology transfer, local production share and financing terms. If the 2027 decisions arrive on schedule, Turkey will enter the next decade with four nuclear programs open in parallel.
