“Nükleer Rönesans Yok; Nükleer Hortlak Var!” / Özgür Gürbüz

Özgür Gürbüz, one of the leading figures in data journalism in Turkey regarding climate and environmental issues, emphasizes that there is no nuclear renaissance in the world, but rather efforts to resurrect nuclear power are ongoing. Stating that only two nuclear power plants were connected to the grid this year and that construction began on only seven nuclear power plants, Gürbüz says, “Only 9% of the world's electricity comes from nuclear power. We see that this percentage doesn't seem likely to increase.” Reminding that the strongest nuclear energy sector is in China, Gürbüz notes that approximately 1 gigawatt of nuclear capacity was added to the grid last year, and makes the following assessment: “However, in the same period in China, 330 gigawatts of solar energy and approximately 300 gigawatts of wind energy were installed. That is, approximately 600 times more renewable energy capacity was installed for every unit of nuclear power. But nobody is talking about this. A big perception game is being played here.” Gürbüz, emphasizing that nuclear energy is 3-4 times more expensive than solar energy, states that he has repeatedly expressed his view that the Akkuyu Nuclear Power Plant, currently under construction, is a major mistake: “First, let's remember that 100% of the shares of this plant belong to Russia. The Republic of Turkey has given Russia a guarantee to purchase electricity. We have committed to buying half of the electricity produced at the plant for 15 years. We agreed to buy this electricity at 12.35 US cents per kilowatt-hour. But how much would we pay if we bought the same electricity from a solar power plant in Turkey? In the 30-year solar energy purchase agreement recently signed with Saudi Arabia, the price is between 2.2 and 2.6 cents per kilowatt-hour. There is approximately a 6-fold difference.” Gürbüz, recalling that balcony-type solar energy systems (Balcony SES) are breaking records in Germany and Spain, states that if the necessary permits are granted in Turkey, this would provide significant benefits both economically and environmentally. He also questions whether Turkey really needs this much energy, saying: “Currently, we have approximately 120 gigawatts of installed capacity. However, the highest electricity demand reached last year was 60 gigawatts. The 5 gigawatts from Akkuyu will be added to this. Natural gas power plants are also coming online. So what are we going to do with all this electricity?” Criticizing Turkey's policies during the COP31 process, Gürbüz stated: “Let's look at what Turkey will do in 2026: It opened a natural gas power plant. In Antalya, it opened agricultural lands to development to build an additional parking lot in the area where the conference will be held. Esra Işık from İkizköy, who tried to prevent the conversion of forest areas into coal fields in Akbelen, was arrested. In Afşin-Elbistan, two large additional units were built at the old and inefficient coal-fired thermal power plant, which should have been shut down long ago. The lifespan of the Yatağan Coal Power Plant was extended through its privatization.” Drawing attention to the continued increase in emissions, Gürbüz concluded his remarks with this analogy: “We don't shut down the coal stove. We install natural gas stoves, solar electricity stoves, and wind stoves next to it. But this cannot be a climate and energy policy.” 00:00 Introduction 00:48 The Birth of Environmental Journalism 03:56 The Nuclear Ghost Myth 08:24 The Real Cost of Nuclear Power 10:51 The Base Load Myth 13:21 Akkuyu Nuclear Power Plant 17:45 Nuclear Waste Uncertainty 21:33 Coal and Subsidies 22:51 Balcony-Type Solar Power 24:55 The Installed Capacity Contradiction 27:50 KOP31 and the Facts 30:10 The Coal Stove at Home 33:20 Urbanization and the Future 35:48 Leadership Opportunity and Closing #NuclearEnergy #KOP31 #RenewableEnergy #ClimateCrisis #AkkuyuNuclear 🌍 We would be very happy if you follow us and like the video for a sustainable world. Our Social Media Accounts: 📌 Instagram:   / onyedinciamac   📌 LinkedIn:   / onyedinciamac   📌 X/Twitter: https://x.com/onyedinciamac 📌 Facebook:   / onyedinciamac   📌 TikTok:   / onyedinciamac