Russia has offered to construct Turkey's first ever nuclear power stations, the Russian state monopoly Atomstroiexport said in a statement on Tuesday.
Atomstroiexport said the offer was made during a meeting of the Russian-Turkish energy working group last week in Moscow. But no details have emerged of any concrete agreements.
Turkish representatives told their Russian counterparts they could "invest in Turkish energy under Turkish legislation", according to Atomstroiexport, which runs all of Russia's foreign power station projects.
Turkey is seeking to reduce its dependence on foreign energy sources, particularly on natural gas from Iran and Russia. It has announced plans to build three, 5,000-megawatt nuclear power stations that are scheduled to enter into service in 2012.
Construction of the first, near the Black Sea town of Sinop, is due to begin next year, despite local opposition on environmental and health grounds. Four thousand people demonstrated in Sinop against the project in April.
An earlier plan to construct Turkey's first nuclear power station was abandoned in 2000 in the face of financial difficulties, and protests from ecologists, neighbouring Greece and nearby Cyprus.
Atomstroiexport is involved in construction projects in China, India and Iran and is bidding to build a nuclear power station in Bulgaria.
