Sabancı Holding, which began collaborating with Austria's largest electricity company Verbund in Enerjisa, has given the
green light
to foreign investors for partnership ventures in nuclear energy.
Sabancı Holding formed a group presidency within its body last year by
including energy among the company's strategic sectors. The company is
now preparing to sign a foreign partnership agreement on nuclear
energy.
Sabancı is negotiating with several companies from
the United States, Europe and the Far East, said Sabancı Holding Energy
Group Chairman Selahattin Hakman. �Soon we will sign a foreign
partnership deal in nuclear energy. Besides the main partner, we will
create several partnerships for projects during the establishment of
the plant,� he said.
Should a nuclear plant be established in
Turkey with private sector investment, the most appropriate address is
Sabancı Holding because of its financial strength and quality, said
Hakman, adding Verbund, its current partner in Enerjisa, will not be
involved in the nuclear investment.
Nuclear plant
investment
may begin within the next two to three years if the necessary steps are
taken quickly, said Hakman. The law concerning establishment of a
nuclear plant is an important but not sufficient step, he added.
�Beyond this law, some mechanisms should be established. Public
security should be ensured in several ways, as nuclear energy is an
debatable issue in the world and a very expensive investment,� he said.
Nuclear energy cannot be a short-term solution to our current
supply problem. However, it will have an important place in Turkey's
medium and long-term energy supply,� Hakman said.
A nuclear
plant cannot start operating before 2017 or 2018, said Hakman. �Turkey
missed the chance to establish a nuclear plant three times since the
1960s and should not miss the fourth chance,� he said.
Opinion
research reveals that a majority of the Turkish population is not
against nuclear energy consciously, said Hakman. �As Sabancı, we will
not implement a project rejected by the public. However, I do not
suppose that we will face a negative result as long as nuclear energy
discussion is based on reality and knowledge rather than prejudices,�
he said.