Could the impending nuclear disaster in Japan put the brakes on Turkey's plans to start its own nuclear energy program? That certainly is the hope of Turkish environmentalists, who are asking the government of the earthquake-prone country to reconsider plans to open up two nuclear plants. The green light has already been given for one plant, to be built by the Russian state nuclear power company Rostam on Turkey's Mediterranean coast. Discussions for the construction of the second plant, which would be located on the Black Sea coast, are ongoing with Toshiba and the Tokyo Electric Power Company, which operates the stricken Fukushima Daiichi nuclear plant in Japan.
Turkish government officials have rejected any calls for stopping the nuclear effort. Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan, currently in Russia for talks that also include energy issues, was quoted as saying: "I am sure that the nuclear power plant to be built in Turkey will be a model for the rest of the world. We can't drop joint projects because of earthquakes."
Reuters reports on Greenpeace's call for a stop to Turkey's nuclear plans and the Wall Street Journal also has more.
[UPDATE -- The President of neighboring Greece has asked Turkey to reconsider it's nuclear plans, while Foreign Policy puts the country's yet-to-be-built Akkuyu nuclear plant on its list of five plants the world should "worry" about.]