Sabotage or accident? Fire at the Turkish nuclear power plant under construction in Akugiou

A fire has broken out at the construction site of the Akkuyu nuclear power plant in southern Turkey, where a state-owned Russian company, Rosatom, is overseeing the work.

There were no Turkish citizens on the board of the project. Amid intense concern, the cause of the fire remains under investigation.

According to reports, operations at the plant have been suspended and local authorities are closely monitoring the situation.

The incident reignites previous disputes over the ownership and operation of the plant.
Earlier statements by the CEO of Rosatom, Anastasia Zoteeva, that the plant “belongs to Russia” and is “the first Russian nuclear plant on the territory of a foreign state”, had sparked reactions in Turkey.

Russia-Turkey cooperation in Akouyou

Turkey has been working with Russia for years to open a new nuclear power station in Adana, Akouyou.

The inauguration of Turkey’s first nuclear power facility, construction of which will continue until 2025 under the agreement, was accelerated after the celebration of the 100th anniversary of the founding of the Republic of Turkey, with the introduction of the first nuclear fuel.

The plant, which will have an estimated lifetime of 60 years with an extension of another 20 years, will generate carbon-free power around the clock.

Rosatom, under a long-term contract for Akougiou, has agreed to provide the design, construction, maintenance, operation and decommissioning of the power plant in question.

Globally, Turkey’s first nuclear power plant is supported by the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA). The Agency accompanies Turkey through missions and advisory services in support of the highest standards for the EU, including nuclear security.

Objections-fears about Acougiou

Many Turkish citizens are against Turkey’s first power plant. They have concerns, after the known global disasters. After the Chernobyl reactor accident, the eastern coast of the Black Sea is one of the heavily polluted areas of Turkey.

People on Turkey’s Black Sea coast say that after the Chernobyl nuclear meltdown on April 26, 1986, cancer cases escalated and the incidence of goiter increased significantly.

Fukushima then added new concerns about the use of nuclear plants, while the Akuyo seismic zone has raised many questions about the plant’s resistance to an earthquake of more than 7 on the Richter scale.