Turkey delays nuclear power plant tender

[Associated Press, 21 February; Turkish Daily News, 23 February] Turkey has delayed the opening of a tender for the construction of the country's first nuclear power plant. The energy ministry said it was waiting for a government audit agency to comment on the tender's technical details before potential bidders could be invited. In early February, Hilmi Guler, Turkish Minister for Energy and Natural Resources, said that invitation notice would be issued on 21 February inviting interested parties to participate in the construction of a nuclear power plant in Turkey. Officials said it was unclear how long the delay would be, but television news channel NTV said it would only be "for a few days". According to NTV, the state auditor was expected to approve the procedures at a meeting on 23 February. In May 2007, a new bill concerning construction and operation of nuclear power plants and sale of their electricity was passed by parliament. This was confirmed in November and approved by the President. The bill provides for the Turkish Atomic Energy Authority (TAEK) to set the criteria for building and operating the plant. Two potential plant sites have been identified: Mersin on the Mediterranean coast and Sinop on the Black Sea coast.