TEPCO Withdraws.. Turkey & Japan Still to Discuss New Proposal for Nuclear Plant

TEPCO, the operator of Japan’s tsunami-hit Fukushima Daiichi nuclear power plant, has withdrawn from Japan’s bid to export nuclear technology to Turkey, but Japan and Turkey are expected to continue talks on a new model, Energy Minister Taner Yıldız has announced.

“TEPCO, which is an operator of Fukushima, has withdrawn from the project,” Yıldız told reporters in Ankara on Wednesday. Turkey and Japan reached a basic agreement in December to build Turkey’s second nuclear plant on the Black Sea coast and had aimed to conclude the deal within three months.

Ankara was in talks with the Tokyo Electric Power Co (TEPCO) and Toshiba on building the plant in Sinop province, but the talks were extended after Japan’s earthquake in March crippled TEPCO’s Fukushima nuclear power plant and caused a radiation crisis. TEPCO had earlier planned to provide technical help on the project. But it has recently said it will focus on compensating victims of the Fukushima nuclear accident, including those forced to evacuate.

A Japanese delegation arrived in Turkey at the end of last week for talks on nuclear cooperation. Yıldız said the delegation had discussed developments regarding the Fukushima power plant.

Japan’s proposal for nuclear cooperation consisted of three phases, namely construction, financing and operation of the planned nuclear power plant. “The Japanese government told us that they want to continue the negotiations. They said they would propose a new model,” Yıldız said, adding that Turkey would consider “flexible cooperation alternatives.”

A decision on the Japanese offer is to be made soon, Yıldız said. “We do not want to lose any more time. We will speedily assess the Japanese offer and will announce our decision to the public,” said Yıldız.

04 August 2011
SOURCE:  TODAYSZAMAN.COM