Small modular reactors could provide a promising avenue for nuclear cooperation between Türkiye and the U.S., offering Ankara a chance to "thrive" in the global SMR supply chain, according to the head of the Nuclear Energy Institute (NEI).
"SMRs is a great area for us to partner on. The United States is going to be very engaged in global nuclear, and if Turkiye and the U.S. could work together on an SMR, I think it's a great opportunity for you to get in the supply chain for SMR," Maria Korsnick said.
"As we're building more SMRs, it's an opportunity for you to thrive as well in the supply chain. So, we welcome that opportunity," Korsnick told Anadolu on the sidelines of the State of the Energy Industry Forum in Washington.
Türkiye and the U.S. signed a memorandum of understanding last September during President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan's visit to the White House to deepen Ankara's nuclear energy partnership.
SMRs are advanced nuclear reactors with a power capacity of up to 300 megawatt (MW) per unit, about one-third of a traditional plant's capacity.
They can be factory-assembled and transported on-site, offering lower costs, flexibility, low-carbon power and enhanced safety, according to the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA).
Türkiye aims to reach 7.2 GW of nuclear capacity by 2035 and 20 GW by 2050. It plans to complement the conventional nuclear plants with small modular reactors.
Türkiye is expected to start generating power from its first nuclear power plant, Akkuyu, this year.
The $20 billion, 4.8-gigawatt, four-reactor plant is being built by Russian conglomerate Rosatom in the Mediterranean province of Mersin. Once fully operational, it is expected to generate around 10% of Türkiye's electricity.
Ankara is also in talks with South Korea, China, Russia and the United States on nuclear projects in the Sinop province and Thrace region.
Korsnick, who has worked in the U.S. nuclear industry for 40 years, described the sector as entering an unprecedented period.
"The outlook is vibrant here in the United States, not only for the current fleet of reactors that we have, which is 94 – we are going to increase that by bringing some that were shut down back in service. And you're going to see the first example of that this year with the Palisades plant coming online," she said.
She said as construction progresses on advanced technologies, additional permits are expected to be approved this year, including projects from TerraPower, X-energy and TVA.
"It's a very, very vibrant time right now in the U.S. commercial fleet, and there's only going to be more," she said.