Turkey drone magnate Baykar enters small reactor nuclear race

Turkish drone manufacturer Baykar is working on small modular reactor (SMR) nuclear technology, Energy Minister Alparslan Bayraktar told journalists on Wednesday.

The Turkish government plans to generate 10 to 15 percent of its electricity from nuclear energy by 2050, with a total of 12 conventional reactors.

In addition, the government aims to achieve 5,000 megawatts of capacity from small modular reactors, a new type of nuclear technology.

“Baykar is working on SMR technology,” Bayraktar said. “They are trying to build a 40-megawatt unit.”

The minister added that Ankara is preparing a new draft law on nuclear technology, which would regulate the field and allow private companies to develop prototypes after meeting specific conditions.

He also noted that the ministry has announced significant incentives to encourage investment in this area.

Selcuk Bayraktar, chairman of Baykar and no relation to Alparslan, said at an event in September that nuclear energy would play a vital role as the world enters a new era of growing energy demand.

“Turkey is not yet where it deserves to be in this field,” he said.

“The question is how Turkey will achieve its own national nuclear energy capacity and develop this technology independently. When we look for an answer to what makes nuclear technology indigenous and independent, and when we consider what the roadmap should be, the most important factor is training thousands of engineers.”

Baykar is one of Turkey’s leading defence companies. Its flagship armed drone, the Bayraktar TB2, has been exported to several countries and has significantly influenced conflicts in Syria, Azerbaijan, Ukraine and Libya.

SMRs remain experimental technologies that require substantial investment.

The energy minister said on Wednesday that his ministry is exploring alternative SMR technologies and recently sent a delegation to Denmark to visit Copenhagen Atomics, a company developing autonomous nuclear reactors powered by thorium.

He emphasised that Turkey holds significant thorium reserves, which could play a role in future energy development.