The agreement on cooperation with Russia in the construction of Turkey's first nuclear power plant will be sent for ratification to the Turkish parliament within the next 7-10 days, Turkish Energy Minister Taner Yildiz said on Wednesday.
Russian President Dmitry Medvedev paid an official visit to Ankara on Wednesday to sign deals including on the construction of a nuclear power plant and the Samsun-Ceyhan oil pipeline.
Russian Deputy Prime Minister Igor Sechin told journalists in Ankara that over $20 billion will be invested in the construction of Turkey's first nuclear power plant.
An international consortium consisting of Russia's nuclear power equipment and service export monopoly Atomstroyexport, electricity export company Inter RAO UES and Turkish Park Teknik won a tender for the construction of Turkey's first nuclear power plant in June 2009.
The consortium proposed building four nuclear power units with a capacity of 1.2 GW each under a Russian project. The nuclear power plant was expected to be built near the Mediterranean port of Mersin in the Akkuyu area and put into operation in 2016-2019.
"The nuclear energy deal opens a new page in cooperation between our states," Medvedev said.
ANKARA, May 12 (RIA Novosti)
