TerraPower, the next-generation nuclear power company backed by Bill Gates, has held informal discussions with several European countries, including Türkiye, regarding the potential construction of small modular reactors (SMRs), a company spokesperson reported on Thursday.
Earlier this month Reuters reported that Türkiye is drafting a law to facilitate building SMRs to complement plans to build conventional nuclear plants.
“We’ve had informal conversations with many European countries, including some stakeholders in Türkiye, but are not engaged in formal conversations with customers in Türkiye at this time,” a TerraPower spokesperson said in response to a Reuters query.
Backers of SMR technology hope to build a series of the smaller nuclear plants in factories, instead of at the site of a power station, a process they say will be less expensive.
But TerraPower has had to delay the launch of its first Natrium plant in Wyoming by about two years to 2030.
The delay is due to a lack of fuel called high-assay low enriched uranium, or HALEU, currently only made in commercial amounts in Russia. TerraPower is in talks with ASP Isotopes on a plant to make HALEU.
“The growing energy demand in Europe and the Russian invasion of Ukraine has increased interest in the clean, firm power provided by technologies like Natrium,” the TerraPower spokesperson said.
Türkiye plans to build at least three nuclear power plants: a four-reactor plant in Akkuyu in the Mediterranean region being built by Russian conglomerate Rosatom, a second one in the Black Sea province of Sinop and a third in the northwest region of Thrace.
The plants are envisaged to boast 15,000 megawatts (MW) of nuclear generation capacity.
Türkiye aims to complement conventional nuclear plants with up to 5,000 MW of SMRs to diversify its electricity production mix.
Türkiye aims to complement conventional nuclear plants with SMRs to diversify its electricity production mix. Its current nuclear energy law does not directly refer to SMRs, so new legislation is needed.
These reactors, with a capacity of 300-400 MW, are seen as a more cost-effective and space-efficient alternative to conventional nuclear plants, allowing them to be built closer to consumption centers and at lower costs.
Türkiye has been in talks with the United States and China about building small modular reactors.
