ANKARA: Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan and Russian counterpart Vladimir Putin on Tuesday launched the construction of Turkey's first nuclear power plant in the Mediterranean Mersin region. Erdogan said standing next to Putin at the presidential palace in Ankara as he ordered through a video link the launch of the US$20 billion dollar Akkuyu nuclear power plant project. Once completed the power station will provide 10 percent of the electricity needs of Turkey, which has few energy resources of its own. Erdogan said: "The power plant will contribute to our energy security and also play an important role in the fight against climate change." Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan (left) and Russian President Vladimir Putin attend a symbolic ground-breaking ceremony for Turkey's first nuclear power station in Akkuyu, on the Mediterranean, at the Presidential Palace in Ankara, Turkey.

Source: New Strait Times April 03, 2018 14:48 UTC