Turkey expects its first nuclear power plant, located at the Akkuyu power station, to be ready in May 2023, Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan said Friday during a visit to the city of Mersin, where the country's first nuclear reactor is being built.     

Erdogan said that 3,000 Russian engineers and 10,000 Turkish engineers are involved in the construction of the facility, emphasizing the importance of completing the construction in 2023, the centennial of the foundation of the Turkish republic.  

An agreement with Russia for the construction of the Turkish nuclear power plant was signed in 2010. The reactor is to be operated by the Akkuyu Nukleer company, with the reactor to be 99% owned by Russian nuclear facility company Rosarom. 

The reactor will have four units, each with a capacity of 1,200 megawatts of electricity.  

Turkey is planning to build an additional nuclear power plant in the area of the city of Sinop.