The role of nucler energy in Turkey's sustainable security and development and the dimension of regional security from a geopolitical perspective

States are responsible for meeting the continuous growth in the demand of energy in order to realize social welfare and sustainable developments. In this perspective, Turkey's ever growing dynamic population, urban life and new developments in the industrial field has also generated a gradual increase in energy demand. The energy factor has become a vital resource in securing Turkey's sustainable security and development. In this context, while Turkey continues its research internationally in many fields including diversity in its supplying countries and routes to meet its energy demand, reducing its foreign dependency on energy and ensuring the security of supplies of imported energy sources on one hand, on the other hand we see that Turkey is attempting to provide the supply-demand balance in energy with its strategies of searching for new energy sources with its national energy moves conducted within its own borders; improving the capacity of existing energy sources and increasing investments for alternative energy sources such as renewable and nuclear energy. The most important project planned to increase the energy production capacity and resource diversity in the 21st century Turkey is the "Nuclear Power Plant" establishment project. Despite all the drawbacks, with its successful and substantial efforts in possessing the long awaited nuclear technology, Turkey aims to secure a power factor nuclear technology that will have strategic importance in its national security, and raise its status as a global power. In this study, the necessity of nuclear energy in sustainable security and development as a part of Turkey's main energy policies and the question of the dimension of regional security will be assessed from a geopolitical perspective. In this respect, the hypothesis of the study forms the argument that in geopolitical terms nuclear energy is an essential and indispensible source for Turkey's sustainable development and security, and nuclear energy will also contribute to regional security. This study also aims to determine the effects and results of both the peaceful and military use of nuclear energy in Turkey by conducting a multidimensional evaluation. Basically, this study was carried out according to qualitative research method and data was obtained from literature reviews using both local and foreign literature. In addition, the study was also supported using graphics and tables formed as a result of the analyses of statistic reports by national and international institutions and organizations that are active in the energy field. As a result of Turkey possessing nuclear energy, it is concluded that this will contribute significantly to energy demand security by providing a resource diversity; fill a significant gap in foreign trade due to the reduction in the energy resource imports of Turkey that is on average 75% dependent on imported energy, and subsequently will be able to enforce more flexible, independent foreign policies. Therefore, possessing nuclear energy is considered to be a requirement for Turkey rather than a preference. As a result of the projects developed by Turkey in the nuclear energy field together with the development of technical infrastructure, and owing to the qualified human resources it was concluded that this will contribute significantly not only to the development of heavy industry, but also the development of sectors including construction, steel production, agriculture, medicine, defense and space, and therefore the development of the country. Moreover, with the accumulation of experience and information Turkey has gained in the nuclear field, providing there is an improvement in opportunities and conditions it appears that in the near future the country will secure a major achievement both in terms of establishing a "Nuclear Power Plant" with its own resources where Turkey will be able to use its own underground sources and preparing the groundwork for nuclear power research for development in the military field, and in terms of supporting the national power factors with nuclear energy. Taking the regional facts and geopolitical situation of Turkey into consideration, in this study it was concluded that nuclear energy is not only more economical, but at the same time a security requirement; so in terms of the comparative advantages over other regional countries, it is essential that Turkey has its own nuclear power and nuclear energy is an essential source of energy for both the security and development of the country.