Yildiz says Turkey to have 23 nuclear units by 2023

Speaking at a panel discussion titled "New Energy Corridor" as part of the World Economic Forum yesterday in Istanbul, Energy Minister Taner Yildiz said that Turkey was determined to build nuclear power plants and would establish 23 nuclear units by 2023. "We are a country without a nuclear power plant. However, we are determined to have nuclear power plants. We want to meet our increasing energy needs by erecting at least 23 nuclear units by the year 2023. This implies building nuclear power plants in three regions of Turkey," Yildiz said. Touching upon a decrease by 9-10 Turkish kurus in diesel prices, Yildiz said he believed gasoline prices would drop in the upcoming days as well. Yildiz added that approximately 17 million street lamps would be replaced by LED bulbs by 2015 to result in 75 percent savings in electricity costs.