Author/Authors :
KARA, Elif Akdeniz Üniversitesi - Sosyal Bilimler Enstitüsü - Uluslararası İlişkiler Bölümü, Turkey , KARA, Elif Eskişehir Osmangazi Üniversitesi, Turkey
Abstract :
Turkey’s first efforts in the nuclear energy sector date back to 1950’s. The very first nuclear research reactor founded in 1961, right after the peaceful nuclear energy cooperation agreement with USA in 1955, had to be shut down because of fiscal and technical issues in 1977. Then, in 1980, a French company founded another reactor, which used to produce 5 MW’s of electricity, in Ankara in order to contribute technical education. This reactor had to be shut down in 1993. The real efforts at producing electricity from nuclear plants failed due to the period of coup d’etat in Turkey. The last effort emerged through the help of former Prime Minister Turgut Özal but the Chernobyl disaster in 1986 caused opposition to nuclear power among the citizens so that these efforts could not be realized (Bacık, Samur, 2010, 101). In 2007, Turkey took a new step in order to regulate the energy sector and to found a nuclear plant through enacting Act 5710- Act on Foundation and Management of Nuclear Power Plants and Disposal of Energy. No doubt, the foundation of a nuclear plant is crucial to the economy; however, likely damages cause fierce debates. In this paper, the position of Turkey in the sector of nuclear based energy production and as a candidate member of the EU, the compatibility of Turkey with the European Law and the European Nuclear Policy is discussed.
NaturalLanguageKeyword :
Nuclear energy , Turkey , power generation , EU , neopolitics
