French energy company Engie has refuted the argument that it withdrew from the second nuclear power plant project in Turkey as part of its policy of withdrawal from the nuclear energy sector.

Engie told Anadolu Agency (AA) that the company is maintaining feasibility studies with all its partners in Sinop's nuclear power plant project. It said, "Feasibility studies regarding the Sinop nuclear power plant project and the evaluation of feasibility in terms of technical, commercial, legal and licensure aspects are being jointly maintained by Mitsubishi Heavy Industries, Engie- Itochu and Electricity Generation Inc. All decisions regarding the project will be made after the completion of feasibility studies." Previously known as GDF Suez, the company changed its name to Engie in April 2015.

It is estimated that feasibility studies on the Sinop nuclear power plant project will be completed only after March 2018. Poised to be Turkey's second nuclear power plant, the Sinop nuclear power plant will be built by a Japanese-French partnership. It will have an installed capacity of 4,480 megawatts and consist of four reactors. The first reactor of the $20 billion power plant project is scheduled to come into service in 2023.