Being built in Akkuyu in Mersin province near the Mediterranean shores, the nuclear project is expected to reduce Turkey’s dependence on importing energy from Russia and Iran.
Agence France-Presse quoted Turkish Energy Minister Taner Yildiz as saying: "Development cannot happen in a country without nuclear energy.
"If we had built this power station 10 years ago, we would have saved $14 billion in natural gas purchases."
Expected to be completed by 2020, the nuclear power plant will feature four power generating units, each having a capacity to generate 1200MW of energy.
However, the project has been protested by environmentalists over its placement in an area rich in wildlife and security concern.
Meanwhile, French-Japanese consortium is likely to construct a second nuclear plant in the Black Sea city of Sinop, Turkey. The country is also planning for a third nuclear power plant.
