Turkey Monday asked for bids on the construction of its first nuclear power plant at the Mediterranean port city of Mersin, a government agency said.
Bids will be accepted until Sept. 24, Turkey's electricity agency said in a written announcement. The government will guarantee that it will buy all the electricity produced by the nuclear plant.
Turkey has experienced frequent cuts this winter of its natural gas supplies from Iran and Azerbaijan.
Power plants fueled by natural gas produce nearly half of Turkey's electricity output. Turkey, a NATO member, imports most of its natural gas from Russia and Iran.
Nuclear power is one of the best options Turkey has, Energy Minister Hilmi Guler has said.
Guler said nuclear power should supply 20% of Turkey's energy needs within the next two decades, allowing the country to decrease its reliance on imported gas.
Critics claim that goal is unrealistic, saying construction of a nuclear plant takes up to a decade.
The Mediterranean port city of Mersin has been designated as the site for the first nuclear plant. Another plot on the Black Sea coast - Inceburun, in Sinop province - is planned for a second nuclear plant.