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Akkuyu Nuclear Power Plant is preparing to become operational as Turkey’s first project in the nuclear field. The groundbreaking ceremony of the third unit of the plant was held in Akkuyu, Mersin on March 10, 2021. President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan and Russian Federation President Vladimir Putin also attended the ceremony. Many diplomats, business people and investors from Russia and Turkey were also there. Akkuyu, whose technology, engineering and financing were completely carried out by Russia, will also have its security processes and waste management controlled by the Russians. The Turkish Atomic Energy Authority and Turkish scientists will regularly inspect the security of the plant. During my meeting with Energy Minister Fatih Dönmez in Akkuyu, the Minister announced that the plant will meet Istanbul’s electrical energy needs, which corresponds to approximately 10 percent of Turkey’s consumption. In addition to Minister Fatih Dönmez, I also met with the executives of Rusatom, the company that made the investment. I conveyed my concerns about security, earthquake risk and waste management. Regardless of political debates, there is a prevailing concern and anxiety towards nuclear energy in different segments of society. These concerns reached their peak after the Three Miles accident in the USA, Chernobyl and Fukushima disasters. Energy Minister Fatih Dönmez said that all precautions were taken regarding the safety of the plant and that there was no reason for the public to be concerned. Rusatom officials also announced that Akkuyu was built by calculating hundreds of risks, including a plane crash and a 9.0 magnitude earthquake. In this video, you will watch many interesting aspects of Akkuyu for the first time. I explained exactly where the plant is located, its general features, technologies and summarized the concerns about security. #Akkuyu #Nuclear #Turkey