The US and Türkiye are reportedly holding talks on the construction of nuclear reactors in Türkiye by American companies. Washington claims this would help Ankara wean itself off Russian nuclear supplies.
According to FDD, the talks come as the US House of Representatives is debating legislation to impose sanctions on Russia’s state nuclear monopoly, Rosatom, and the Biden administration has set conditions for the imposition of sanctions on Turkish companies involved in nuclear cooperation with Moscow.
According to a Turkish energy official, talks between Washington and Ankara are focusing on possible US exports of large nuclear power reactors and small modular reactors (SMRs) to Türkiye.
“We are working together to try to reduce [Türkiye’s] dependence on Russia as much as possible,” US Ambassador to Türkiye Jeff Flake told Reuters.
Congress prepares sanctions against Rosatom
Meanwhile, Congress is preparing sanctions in addition to nuclear cooperation. On 16 May, the House Foreign Affairs Committee passed the Rosatom Sanctions Implementation Act (HR 8046), introduced by Thomas Kean, chairman of the Subcommittee on Europe, which aims to “permanently divest from the Russian nuclear industry”.
In essence, the legislation would halt US and global business with Rosatom, which remains a major source of revenue for the Kremlin as the war in Ukraine continues.
The legislation requires the Biden administration to approve secondary sanctions against Rosatom and “its subsidiaries and affiliates … [and] any foreign person that engages in significant transactions with Rosatom”.
If passed, the legislation could affect the multi-billion dollar Turkish-Russian nuclear project at Akkuyu.
Ankara may get sanctions waiver
The Rosatom Sanctions Implementation Act authorises the Biden administration to waive sanctions until 2032 for countries that actively work to eliminate business with Rosatom, as Washington hopes Ankara will do. US-Turkish nuclear cooperation will likely require a waiver, as Washington will not be able to legally engage in nuclear cooperation with Turkish entities sanctioned for doing business with Rosatom.
It remains unclear how Washington will avoid sanctions on Türkiye’s cooperation with Russia after 2032, as the Akkuyu facilities will remain in Russian hands and be maintained by Rosatom after that date.
According to Rosatom CEO Alexei Lihachev on Russia 1, the Americans recently seized $25 billion earmarked for the Akkuyu project.
Türkiye also confirms talks with US
“The US is showing serious interest in Türkiye’s goal of increasing its nuclear power capacity and building new plants,” Yusuf Ceylan, an official at the Ministry of Energy and Natural Resources, told Reuters at a conference on nuclear power plants earlier this month.
Asked about the projects under discussion, Ceylan said: “We can evaluate existing plants or new plants. We are in talks with the US for both large plants and small modular reactors. This is a memorandum of understanding,” he said.
Ceylan said negotiations were underway with South Korea and Russia for the second nuclear power plant to be built in the Sinop region, and with China’s SPIC company for the third nuclear power plant to be built in the Thrace region.
Ambassador Jeff Flake said Ankara was talking to the US and “others” about building small modular reactors.
