Turkish president hopes Putin will attend opening of nuclear plant

Early Construction of Plant Russian President Vladimir Putin may travel to Turkey for the inauguration of the country's first nuclear power plant, President Recep Tayyip Erdogan told local TV station A Haber on Wednesday. The Akkuyu facility was built in partnership with the Russian state nuclear development agency Rosatom. The Russian leader will either attend the opening ceremony in person or via video link on April 27, Erdogan said, describing the plant as one of Turkey’s “indispensable investments” that would help the country “seriously store energy.” Akkuyu’s first reactor is set to become operational later this year, while the entire plant is due to go on-line by 2025. When complete, it will feature four reactors capable of generating 4,800 megawatts. The Turkish and Russian heads of state spoke on the phone recently regarding collaboration between their two nations on strategic power engineering projects, including the Akkuyu plant an...