Sergey Beiden, Senior Analyst of Electric Power Industry of IFK Metropol:

 — We see that Inter RAO is somehow present in Turkey. So Turkey falls within the framework of our interests and from the point of view of export the common energy interests too

On July 14 the Turkish parliament ratified the Russian-Turkish agreement on construction of the first NPP in the country. The agreement was signed on May 12, 2010 in Ankara. Russia and Turkey hereunder will cooperate in the field of construction and operation of the NPP in Akkuyu in south Mersin province. After entry of this agreement into effect the Russian party will start the creation of the project campaign. The future NPP capacity is expected to be 4800 mW that is equal to 14% of todays capacity generated by Turkey.

Sergey Beiden, Senior Analyst of Electric Power Industry of IFK Metropol:

Certainly, it’s always good to widen the geography. Now there is a significant separation at the international market, I mean competition among Russia, Western Europe and the United States together with Japan at the construction market and in nuclear power industry as a whole.

Turkey is surely of the utmost interest. Moreover, as far as I understand, there was some progress related to electric power purchase price that made the project more attractive compared to the earlier stipulated conditions.

We see that Inter RAO is somehow present in Turkey. So Turkey falls within the framework of our interests and from the point of view of export the common energy interests too. That’s why entrance to this market seems to be quite logical and interesting.

Bulgaria also has a very promising project of a nuclear power plant. We, for example, have Baltic NPP which we plan and in which ENEL can somehow express its interest, it’ll be also for the most part outer market-oriented.

All the neighbouring regions of Eastern and Southern Europe including Bulgaria and Turkey bordering the CIS countries and Russia somehow organically fit well into this presence expansion strategy from the point of view of both nuclear power industry and opportunity of electric power export/import to these regions.

That’s why I think that Bulgaria and Turkey must be in parallel except that the former has drawn in everything and the question concerning existence of this power plant as such has been suspended.