Turkey has removed all legal obstacles for construction of the Akkuyu nuclear power plant and supports the construction of the Turkish Stream pipeline, Turkey’s Economy Minister Nihat Zeybekci said after meeting Russia’s Energy Minister Alexander Novak, quoted by TASS.

The Akkuyu total cost of the construction is estimated at USD 22 billion, and the total amount of funds Russia allocated to the project to date is approximately USD 3 billion, the agency reported.

“Turkey’s Minister of Economy Nihat Zeybekci assured Alexander Novak, that currently the Turkish side has removed all legal obstacles for the construction of the Akkuyu NPP and expressed support for the Turkish Stream project,” Russian Energy Ministry said in a statement after the meeting.

“The Turkish Stream” is beneficial for both countries,” the Turkish minister said.

The intergovernmental Russian-Turkish agreement on construction of the Akkuyu nuclear power plant was signed on May 12, 2010. This project includes construction of four power units (VVER-1200) with a capacity of 1.2 GW each in accordance with the Russian project “NPP-2006”.

Due to tensions in Russian-Turkish relations, the future of Akkuyu NPP project is still under question. Western media, citing sources in the Turkish government, reported earlier that the project was suspended. However, the Turkish side has officially denied this information.

In June, Russian Nuclear Agency Rosatom said that the first concreting at Akkuyu NPP is planned in 2018. The first block will be put into operation in 2023

The Russian expects to receive the license for the construction of the NPP in August.