Selçuk Bayraktar Said that Small Modular Reactors are an Important Step for Türkiye's Technological Independence

Stating that they have been working on small modular reactors with TMRS Energy for 1.5-2 years, Selçuk Bayraktar said, "We said: Let's at least reach the nearest mountain we can reach. This is the closest area to us. We thought that let's start from here, you will reach there over time. I am so ambitious that I believe we can build small modular reactors in a few years. I believe this will happen in a few years." he said.

Explaining that there was a snowball effect in the team carrying out this study and that it was growing, Bayraktar also reminded that a program for studies in this field was announced.

Stating that studies on nuclear energy are carried out under state control all over the world, Bayraktar said, "This is especially the case with nuclear fuels. We believe that, in a sense, one of the important building blocks of our independence in energy will be small modular reactors. It would be very difficult for us to build large reactors. This is actually a point like a breakthrough in aviation. The world is moving towards this and we are relatively at the beginning of this transformation." he said.

Bayraktar emphasized that the most important issue in this field is human resources and said:

"Friends, you must also have underground wealth. This is very valuable, but unless you have the manpower to take and process that underground wealth and create a value chain, you cannot do anything. I was too far away from the subject. I am an electronics engineer, a robotics expert. I did not understand the N of nuclear. With you, at the age of 47, I have returned to my 20s and I am learning a completely different field from scratch. What does the poet say? 'I know that living is in the clear sky, children. 'It's about fighting for your sake.' "We work in this field with such a feeling."

Reminding that they encountered various criticisms during the development process of tiny UAVs, Bayraktar made the following evaluations:

"Baykar is the world's largest unmanned aerial vehicle company in this field in its 20th year. With these UAVs, Turkey has both defeated terrorism and demonstrated a great technological success to the world and continues to innovate. This is such an area. When you look at it this way, it is an area that can grow with you.

Because 600 million people currently have no access to energy, and on the other hand, if you ask: "What is the biggest breakthrough in technology today?", if we look at history, what will do what the printing press did? 'Artificial intelligence.' Where are the basic processing parameters of artificial intelligence based on today? To energy.

If you don't have energy, you don't have information processing. If you cannot do computing, it means you will not be able to do any of the technologies you will develop. Therefore, energy is located at a very important point, in an important place. The work you do is very important both for humanity and for meeting the increasing energy demand. Electricity consumption in the world is increasing geometrically.

Therefore, I think that this project, this technology, is very important and gives us a historical opportunity."

Emphasizing that he felt proud while visiting the tents and listening to their presentations, Bayraktar said, "As an engineer's son and an engineer's brother, I would like to express this: The greatest work we can leave behind will be to remove the obstacles to the generations that will carry out the work that will pave the way for our country and civilization. It will be to leave a state of mind that knows no obstacles on their horizons and in their imagination." he said.

Stating that TEKNOFEST was a great revolution in self-confidence, Bayraktar said, "When I was at university, there would be such a competition and we would think that we could do these things. Frankly, it was not possible. But now, a generation has arrived that can raise its claim to the world in every field and make the voice of our civilization louder." he said.