TÜNAŞ and the US's USTDA to assess 4 SMR and 5 fourth-generation reactor designs under a 2 million dollar grant

According to an Anadolu Agency report dated 22 September 2026, the agreement was signed by the General Manager of TÜNAŞ and the Deputy Director of USTDA; Energy and Natural Resources Minister Alparslan Bayraktar also attended the ceremony. The study will compare the SMR designs of 4 US companies and 5 different fourth-generation designs from technical, economic, regulatory and licensing perspectives. More than 10 items are listed among the review topics: design features, cost, licensing status, supply chain, SWOT analysis, financing model, permitting framework, emergency protocols, security design and site selection.

As reported by İktibas Dergisi the same day, the grant amount is about 2 million dollars, the duration at least 1 year, and USTDA covers the US-side cost of the technical work. Minister Bayraktar linked the assessment to the 2053 net-zero emissions target and the goal of energy independence; SMRs were presented as a 2nd track to diversify the portfolio alongside large-scale plants. Bayraktar was reported to have also met the Canadian Foreign Minister and AtkinsRéalis management during the same visit; whether any concrete commitment emerged from these meetings could not be verified as of 23 September.

The agreement is not a purchase or construction decision; it is a preliminary study comprising a comparative feasibility assessment of 9 designs. The sources do not state which sites will be examined or whether the study will lead to the selection of a supplier.