Turkish companies excited for possible US partnership in small nuke reactors

Turkish private sector shows great interest in developing small modular reactors (SMR) which could be used to replace carbon-emitting coal power plants, according to Justin Friedman, a senior advisor at the US State Department.

Compared to large-scale nuclear power plants, SMRs are easier to operate and construct, while their modular quality makes their manufacture time quicker and cheaper.

‘SMRs are small, usually between 70 to 300 megawatts in capacity which makes it possible to place multiple reactors on an existing site and use them to substitute for coal,’ Friedman, who is a senior advisor for commercial competitiveness in nuclear energy at the State Department told Anadolu Agency.

There are two routes for cooperation between the US and Türkiye in the field of small scale nuclear energy, government to government and business to business, he added.

Having met with government officials from the foreign ministry and the ministry of energy during his visit to Türkiye, Friedman voiced the excitement that the Turkish private sector has shown.

Among the companies he met with, some of them own coal fired power plants and want to make the switch to a cleaner and more stable source, he said.

If a company decides to install SMRs on a coal power plant, Friedman said it can use the electric grid connections already in place, reduce its investment and retain the existing personnel.

‘People who work in a coal fired power plant, for the most part, can apply those same skills in the coal plant to a nuclear plant,’ he added.

He emphasized that switching from a coal-fired power station to SMR would result in ‘going from carbon emissions, and all the other things that coal emits when it’s burned, to zero emissions.’

Friedman said the next step is to determine how US companies can partner with Turkish companies.

– SMR could open door for global partnerships

Türkiye also has an opportunity as a country, Friedman said, further adding that Turkish companies can expand the country’s global reach by utilizing ‘its large scale construction experience.’

‘I’m aware that there are a couple of Turkish companies that are looking at becoming partners and participating in some of the leading projects including in Romania where the first SMR will be deployed outside of the US,’ Friedman said.

Highlighting many opportunities for Turkish companies in the modular nuclear field, he said that ‘there are a number of Turkish companies that have the technological skills to participate in the supply chain to build the parts within the reactor.’

Those companies need to ‘certify that they can build nuclear levels of quality,’ he said.

Friedman noted that there are many ‘well equipped Turkish companies with resources that can be partners in investing in projects around the world.’

Friedman said SMRs can also provide clean electricity and heat for use in industrial activities.

• small modular reactors (SMR)