Elon Musk, nuclear energy and economic security

Reading the title of this column, you may not immediately be able to discern the link between these three. So let's dive right in and take a closer look at the issue of nuclear energy.

Last Thursday, Elon Musk tweeted about nuclear energy. It reads as follows: "Unless susceptible to extreme natural disasters, nuclear power plants should not be shut down." So what lies behind this tweet by Elon Musk?

In fact, the Covid-19 pandemic has also served as a litmus test, showing us the weaknesses and vulnerabilities of numerous sectors. 

One of these sectors and in my opinion the most important one is undoubtedly is energy. 

Because energy, which is the common and indispensable input of all other sectors, is the output of this particular industry. 

Meanwhile, labels such as "zero carbon policy" and "combating climate change" pose serious challenges to this industry.

The strategy of moving away from fossil fuel, which results in high carbon emissions, within the scope of combating climate change, increases the importance of alternative resources. 

When it comes to alternatives, renewable resources immediately spring to mind. As such, the number and capacities of wind, solar and geothermal power plants are increasing with every passing day. 

However, since the power generation of these plants experiences fluctuations to a certain extent, it does not seem quite yet possible to solely rely on them at the moment. 

When we consider the issue from this perspective, nuclear power plants then occupy a crucially unique position.

With nuclear power plants that boast a very long life span, it is possible to obtain relatively more energy continuously and in a cleaner way. 

Of course, let's stress the safety concerns when it comes to nuclear power as we’ve witnessed the disaster that ensued following the earthquake and tsunami in Japan in 2011 and the release of radioactive material in Fukushima.

One of the indispensable pillars for an economy to be sustainable is to guarantee the energy supply security of that economy at the highest level. 

Thus, the required energy must continuously be supplied from different sources at affordable costs. This requirement also necessitates the diversification of resources used in energy production. 

Nuclear power plants have an important role to play in this diversification. Because with nuclear power plants, reliable, clean and powerful energy supply is provided continuously and efficiently. 

Therefore, nuclear power plants, whose vulnerability to natural disasters is minimized, also contribute to the establishment of economic security.

Construction is underway on Akkuyu, Turkey's first nuclear power plant. If everything goes as planned, we will start receiving energy from the power plant in 2023. 

This is a strategic project as much as it is important for Turkey. However, when we look at Turkey's energy projections, when we consider the signing of the Paris Climate Agreement and the "zero carbon" targets, one needs to stress that additional nuclear power plant projects should be developed as soon as possible.