USTDA Funds Tüpraş Study of US SMRs for Refinery Power, Heat, Steam
The US Trade and Development Agency signed an agreement on Oct. 26 to fund a study of small modular reactors at Türkiye's largest refiner, but gave no grant amount and has not yet chosen a contractor.
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Türkiye plans 5,000 MW of SMR capacity by 2050, per USTDA; NucNet reports a 20,000 MW nuclear goal for the same year.
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The US Trade and Development Agency (USTDA) signed an agreement on Oct. 26 to fund technical assistance for Türkiye Petrol Rafinerileri (Tüpraş), the country's largest crude oil refiner, to assess whether small modular reactors (SMRs) could supply electricity, heat and steam to its refineries, the agency said in a press release.
The study will evaluate a range of US SMR technologies on technical, economic, sustainability and regulatory grounds, and look at their industrial uses. It will produce a roadmap for Tüpraş to decide whether and how to deploy SMRs. NucNet reported the agreement on Oct. 28.
The Oct 26 agreement starts a screening study; the 12-month length is reported by ChemEx World only, per USTDA, NucNet and ChemEx World.
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The agency did not disclose the grant amount. USTDA-funded work is carried out by US companies, and the request for proposals will be posted on the agency's website, so no contractor has been named. ChemEx World, citing the refiner, described the evaluation as a 12-month study; neither the agency's release nor NucNet gives a duration.
Why a refiner is looking at reactors
The study looks at electricity, heat and steam together, not only power. Tüpraş frames the work as part of its plan to reach net-zero carbon operations by 2050, according to ChemEx World, and the study covers process heat and low-carbon hydrogen as well as power.
Nothing in the release says the project will lead to a reactor order. The study is a screening step: it compares designs and sets out a decision path, and the release does not say Tüpraş has committed to build anything.
Türkiye's SMR target and US suppliers
USTDA said Türkiye plans 5,000 megawatts of SMR capacity by 2050 and expects private companies to carry much of the development and investment. NucNet adds that the country's goal is 20,000 MW of nuclear capacity by 2050, with at least 5,000 MW from SMRs. USTDA said the work aims to create export opportunities for US suppliers.
The agreement follows a separate USTDA agreement with the state-owned Türkiye Nuclear Energy Company (TÜNAŞ), signed in September 2026, which also reviews how leading US reactor designs could meet national power needs, NucNet said. Türkiye is building its first nuclear plant, Akkuyu, with four Russian VVER reactors, and is looking at other technologies to diversify its suppliers. Voltgrid News reported on Putin's remark that Turkish investors are ready to buy a stake in Akkuyu.
What is not confirmed yet
The grant size, the contractor and the list of US designs to be assessed are all open until the request for proposals is issued and awarded. No site, reactor size or timetable for any Tüpraş reactor has been given.
