Title: Turkey's nuclear energy policy: towards a sustainable energy mix?

Authors: Emre İşeri; Cem Özen

Addresses: Faculty of Economics, Administrative and Social Sciences, Department of International Relations, Kadir Has University, Cibali Campus, Istanbul 34083, Turkey ' Faculty of Engineering and Natural Sciences, Department of Information Systems, Kadir Has University, Cibali Campus, Istanbul 34083, Turkey

Abstract: To originate new sustainable development policies is a prerequisite for achieving a higher level of worldwide economic and social development. The efficiency of a sustainable development policy could, and should, be measured by a multi-dimensional analysis that comprises all social, economic and environmental factors. Acknowledging the requirement to have a sustainable energy mix, net energy importer Turkey has initiated its nuclear energy programme. However, this move by Turkey also brings forth certain environmental, social and economic issues that have been a matter of ongoing debate. This study aims not only to contribute to the debate by providing a balanced enquiry of nuclear energy's pros and cons, but also to determine the pre-conditions for it to prompt Turkey to reach a sustainable energy future. The nuclear option has a significant potential to drive Turkey's transition to sustainable energy as long as several environmental, social and economic risk factors are minimised.

Keywords: sustainability; nuclear energy; energy policy; energy mix; social issues; environmental issues; economic issues; Turkey; nuclear power; sustainable development.

DOI: 10.1504/IJNGEE.2013.053811

International Journal of Nuclear Governance, Economy and Ecology, 2013 Vol.4 No.1, pp.41 - 58

Received: 09 Feb 2013
Accepted: 23 Feb 2013

Published online: 02 Oct 2013 *

Full-text access for editors Full-text access for subscribers Purchase this article Comment on this article