TÜPRAŞ to assess nuclear heat for refineries

TÜPRAŞ has agreed a US-funded technical assessment of small modular reactors (SMRs) capable of supplying electricity, steam and industrial heat to its refining operations in Türkiye. The agreement with the US Trade and Development Agency (USTDA), signed on 26 October 2026, will support a comparative study of American reactor technologies and establish a roadmap for determining whether nuclear energy could be integrated into the company’s industrial facilities.

The proposed work will examine technical maturity, economic performance, licensing, safety and security, nuclear fuel supply and the suitability of reactor technologies for industrial applications. Environmental considerations will include resource efficiency, water consumption and waste management. The assessment is expected to take approximately one year and will inform further development decisions rather than commit TÜPRAŞ to purchasing or constructing a reactor.

USTDA will fund the technical assistance, with the work to be carried out by a US company selected through the agency’s procurement arrangements. The agreement establishes the scope of the evaluation, while the appointed contractor will undertake the engineering and commercial assessment. The programme does not identify a selected reactor vendor, generating capacity or specific refinery installation.

TÜPRAŞ operates crude oil refining facilities that require large quantities of electricity and thermal energy. Electrical power supplies pumps, compressors, control systems and other plant equipment, while heating processes support the conversion and separation of petroleum products. The temperature, pressure and continuity of heat supply vary between refining activities, requiring any alternative energy system to be matched to specific operational demands.

Distillation involves heating crude oil and separating components according to their boiling characteristics. Other refinery processes use steam, fired heaters and heat exchangers to maintain the temperatures needed for processing. Heat may be required continuously during operation, while planned maintenance and changes in production affect demand across the wider facility.

A nuclear reactor produces thermal energy through fission within its core. That heat can be transferred through engineered cooling and heat exchange systems for electricity generation or industrial use. The arrangement needed for a refinery depends on whether the reactor is intended to supply electricity, process steam, direct heat or a combination of those outputs.

Small modular reactor technologies differ in coolant, fuel, operating temperature and power conversion design. Light-water reactor concepts use water to remove heat from the core, while other designs employ different coolants and thermal operating conditions. Those characteristics influence the temperatures available for industrial applications and the equipment required to transfer useful energy to refinery systems.

Where a reactor supplies electricity, thermal energy is transferred to a power conversion system that drives a generator. The electrical output depends on the reactor’s thermal power and the efficiency of conversion. An installation delivering some of its heat directly to industrial processes may have a different balance between electrical generation and useful thermal output from a plant designed principally for electricity production.

Steam supply requires particular attention because industrial processes operate at specified temperatures and pressures. A reactor producing heat at a given temperature cannot be assumed to meet every steam requirement without additional equipment. Heat exchangers, pressure control systems and potentially supplementary heating arrangements may be necessary to match the nuclear installation to the refinery’s existing process network.

Engineering the heat transfer interface also requires separation between the nuclear plant and industrial process systems. The selected arrangement must maintain the boundaries required by the reactor design and its safety assessment while allowing useful heat to reach the refinery. Heat exchanger performance, operating pressure and the characteristics of the circulating fluids determine how the interface can be configured.

Industrial electricity demand presents a separate integration requirement. Refinery electrical systems may already receive supply from the external network and from on-site generation. A new nuclear unit would need to operate alongside those sources, with transformers, switchgear, protection systems and controls suitable for the expected electrical loads and connection conditions.

Changes in refinery demand may not coincide with the most efficient operating conditions of the selected reactor. The feasibility work will therefore need to assess how an installation could manage variations in electricity and heat requirements, including the possible role of the external network or existing utility systems. The appropriate arrangement depends on the reactor technology and the operating characteristics of the refinery.

Licensing requirements will form an important part of the study because a reactor intended for an industrial site must satisfy the applicable nuclear safety and regulatory arrangements. The assessment will examine the licensing status of candidate technologies, the evidence available from existing designs and the requirements that would apply in Türkiye. Approvals obtained elsewhere would not replace the authorisation needed for a proposed local installation.

Site characteristics must also be considered before a reactor configuration can be selected. Ground conditions, cooling water availability, industrial hazards, access for construction and emergency planning arrangements can influence both the location and design of a nuclear installation. These requirements would need to be evaluated alongside the established operations and infrastructure of the refinery.

The supply of nuclear fuel introduces longer-term considerations extending beyond equipment procurement. A project would require an appropriate fuel specification, a qualified manufacturing and delivery route and arrangements for handling fuel during the reactor’s operating life. Different SMR technologies may use different enrichment levels or fuel forms, making supply chain maturity part of the technology comparison.

Economic modelling will need to account for construction expenditure, financing, operating costs, fuel procurement, maintenance and the energy produced over time. The value of a reactor supplying both electricity and process heat depends on how its outputs are used and what energy supplies they replace. The study will also need to consider plant availability and the consequences of interruptions to energy supply at an operating refinery.

Environmental criteria will include water use and waste management, as well as the potential reduction in emissions associated with existing refinery energy systems. Any resulting emissions benefit will depend on the operating arrangement and the sources of electricity and heat displaced. TÜPRAŞ is examining the technology within its wider objective of becoming a carbon-neutral energy company by 2050.

The proposed study sits alongside Türkiye’s broader plans to develop nuclear generation. The government has identified an ambition for 5,000MW of small modular reactor capacity by 2050 and expects private-sector investment to contribute substantially to that programme. USTDA has separately supported the Türkiye Nuclear Energy Company, TÜNAŞ, in examining the regulatory, institutional and financial conditions needed for commercial SMR development.

Those national activities provide a wider policy setting for TÜPRAŞ’s industrial assessment, while the refinery study will concentrate on the practical requirements of a potential customer for nuclear electricity and heat. Technology selection will depend on the ability of proposed reactor designs to satisfy the company’s process requirements and the conditions for a viable development.

The technical assistance programme will produce a roadmap for further consideration of SMR deployment at TÜPRAŞ facilities. Its findings are expected to identify candidate technologies and the regulatory, engineering and commercial work that would be required before an investment could progress. A reactor order, construction timetable and generating capacity will depend on decisions taken after that assessment.