Russian President Vladimir Putin said today that Turkish investors are ready to buy a stake in the "Akkuyu" nuclear power plant, which is being built by the Russian state company "Rosatom" in Turkey, Reuters reports, citing the Interfax agency.
"We are building, we are the operator and owner of the plant. Some Turkish companies (...) are ready to buy a stake. We would welcome that," he said, estimating the project's cost at around $25 billion.
Moscow and Ankara signed an agreement in 2010 to build a nuclear power plant with four Russian VVER-1200 reactors, but the project has faced repeated delays and bureaucratic hurdles, the agency noted.
"Rosatom" began construction in 2018. However, the commissioning schedule has been extended several times from the original target of 2023, and now "Rosatom" expects the first reactor to achieve its first self-sustaining nuclear chain reaction before the end of this year.
The "Akkuyu" project is financed by Russia. "Rosatom" - its sole owner, can sell a stake of up to 49 percent to a partner to share the investment burden.
In April, Rosatom said it had begun new talks with Turkish companies for joint ownership of Akkuyu after the war in Iran boosted interest in such assets. Earlier in October, Rosatom head Alexei Likhachev indicated that talks were progressing.