Türkiye aims to reach 7.2 gigawatts (GW) of nuclear capacity by 2035 and 20 gigawatts by 2050 in its energy mix, a senior official said Monday, highlighting the "critical role" nuclear energy plays in reaching the country's net zero emission target.

"We want to use renewable energy. There is a huge potential in our country. We want to increase the existing capacity. But we must balance these intermittent resources such as solar and wind with the base load," Energy and Natural Resources Minister Alparslan Bayraktar said in his address at the two-day international nuclear energy event ATOMEXPO-2024 that kicked off on Monday in the Russian coastal city of Sochi.

Nuclear energy plays a critical role in reaching the country's 2053 net zero emission target, and to this end, a further two nuclear plants are planned in addition to the Akkuyu Nuclear Power Plant (NPP), which is under construction in the Mersin province on the Mediterranean coast.

Bayraktar noted that the targets set by Türkiye in nuclear energy are compatible with global nuclear energy targets and said, "We aim to reach a total of 12 reactors and a nuclear power of 15,000 megawatts, with probably four reactors in three different locations in Türkiye."

"By 2050, that is, in the next 20-25 years, Türkiye needs to reach an installed capacity of 20,000 megawatts," he added.

Bayraktar explained that the country’s nuclear energy program, which he described as a "huge undertaking" is in line with the declaration made at the last U.N. climate conference, COP28 when the international community agreed that the world needs to triple its nuclear capacity by 2050.

He said that with the country’s expanding energy market, which is set to grow on average by 4% per annum over the next two decades, changes are required to the electricity market along with more energy to match the growth in industrial demand.

To meet this demand, Ankara is set to prioritize more power generation from renewable sources as well as nuclear energy.

"We have a great potential for renewables and energy efficiency, but we absolutely need to add nuclear energy into our energy mix," Bayraktar said.

The nuclear share of the country’s power basket will start with the construction of four reactors in the Akkuyu Nuclear Power Plant (NPP) with the Russian State Atomic Energy Corporation (Rosatom), with the aim of reaching 7.2 GW of nuclear capacity by 2035 and 20 GW by 2050.

According to the minister, this capacity target can be achieved by initially installing 4.8 GW in Akkuyu, followed by another four reactors in a second plant in Sinop, and four more in a third plant in the Thrace region.

Small modular reactors would also contribute around 5 GW over the next 20 to 30 years, another area that the country would also prioritize over the next few years for the transition to carbon neutrality.

To achieve the country’s decarbonization goal by 2053, Bayraktar said that the country not only needs to develop nuclear infrastructure but also to develop and train a professional and skilled workforce to develop this industry.

He sees that cooperation with Rosatom and relevant private entities locally and internationally will enable this development.

"We have a very important localization program with Rosatom, and we are actually building an ecosystem in Türkiye for nuclear energy."

Following the established cooperation with Rosatom for the construction of Türkiye’s first nuclear power plant, the Akkuyu plant in Mersin, Ankara would like to extend this partnership for the construction of the second plant in Sinop in the Black Sea region, Bayraktar said.

He also shared that interest has been shown from other countries, and in particular companies in China and South Korea, for investment in the country’s nuclear market.

Referring to the project in the Thrace region, Bayraktar said: "We have ongoing negotiations with China on the Thrace side. We want to clarify and finalize this year. We need to pass the agreement phase and move on to the construction."

Moreover, he reiterated the aim of commissioning the first reactor of Akkuyu NPP this year, highlighting the efforts he said were undertaken in this direction.

The minister also called for a unified stance in tackling global issues such as climate change and global warming and in achieving carbon neutrality goals in order to ensure a secure, and brighter future.

He also advocated for nuclear energy as part of this "better future," arguing the need to remove all artificial barriers like trade restrictions and financial sanctions on this sector.

Established in 2009, the ATOMEXPO International Forum is one of the key congress and exhibition events in the global nuclear industry.

This year, over 4,500 participants are attending the event from 75 countries, according to a statement from the organizers.