U.S. financing agencies are ready to support nuclear energy projects in Türkiye, particularly small modular reactors (SMRs), but are waiting for viable proposals to go ahead, a senior U.S. State Department advisor said recently.
“We are waiting for the projects to come forward so we can say … match the project with the money,” Justin Friedman told Anadolu Agency (AA) on the sidelines of the 11th Nuclear Power Plants Summit in Istanbul.
“They are ready to go; we just need good projects to come,” he added.
Friedman said the U.S. Export-Import Bank and the U.S. International Development Finance Corporation (DFC) have already issued letters of interest worth more than $17 billion for nuclear projects in Romania and Poland and are now looking at Türkiye.
“I know they are exploring opportunities here in Türkiye and have programs to help, particularly SMRs, move forward,” he added.
Türkiye is building its first nuclear power plant, the four-unit Akkuyu project on the Mediterranean coast, in partnership with Russia’s state nuclear agency, Rosatom. Once fully operational, the plant is expected to supply about 10% of Türkiye’s electricity demand for at least 60 years.
Ankara also plans large-scale plants in Sinop on the Black Sea and in the northwestern Thrace region, targeting 20 gigawatts (GW) of installed nuclear capacity by 2050. Officials are also evaluating SMRs as part of the country’s long-term energy mix.
Friedman, who previously served as political counselor at the U.S. Embassy in Ankara between 2014 and 2017, said there is natural potential for cooperation between U.S. and Turkish companies in the SMR sector.
“Turkish companies already, today, are providing parts, supplies and services for nuclear projects outside of Türkiye,” he said. “It is only natural that U.S. companies would want to seek that expertise and take advantage of it as they explore projects here in Türkiye.”
Friedman described this as an “exciting time” for the global nuclear sector, noting that U.S. President Donald Trump has set a target of adding 400 gigawatts of nuclear capacity in the U.S. by 2050. “That is a very ambitious goal, and that is why the U.S. is in the lead around the world,” he said.
He added that Washington sees nuclear cooperation as a key pillar of its broader strategic relationship with Ankara. “Nuclear is a piece of that. And we are hoping that by working together on the nuclear energy issue, we can extend and grow our partnership,” he said.
Friedman said the U.S. and Türkiye are “deep friends and good partners” and expressed hope that nuclear cooperation would continue to grow. “We see indications on both sides that we want to move forward, and I am just happy to be here to be part of that,” he said.
When asked whether a bilateral nuclear agreement could be expected soon, Friedman said: “I hope for a deal soon. I hope to be part of the team that develops that deal. But there is nothing I can talk about right now.”
