Türkiye's 1st nuclear plant to receive fuel in April

STORY: Türkiye's 1st nuclear plant to receive fuel in April DATELINE: April 2, 2023 LENGTH: 00:04:30 LOCATION: Ankara CATEGORY: ECONOMY/ECONOMY SHOTLIST: 1. various of Akkuyu Nuclear Power Plant (courtesy of ihlas news agency) 2. SOUNDBITE (Turkish): MURAT LECOMPTE, Istanbul-based energy expert STORYLINE: Türkiye is planning to load nuclear fuel into its first nuclear plant in late April. The project, built by Russia's state nuclear energy company Rosatom, is located in the southeastern Turkish province of Mersin. It is expected to produce 35 billion kilowatt-hours (kWh) of electricity annually and will meet about 10 percent of domestic electricity needs. Experts have said that the project consolidates growing ties between Türkiye and Russia. The nuclear plant is also one of Erdogan's big projects. The Turkish leader is facing tight general elections on May 14, while his country is struggling with economic woes and the huge recovery costs of the Feb 6 earthquakes. SOUNDBITE (Turkish): MURAT LECOMPTE, I