"The place where everything is currently ready (for construction) is Akkuyu," Guler told the NTV news channel.

An earlier plan to build a nuclear reactor at Akkuyu, in the southern province of Mersin, was dropped in July 2000 amid financial difficulties and protests from environmentalists in Turkey and neighbouring Greece and Cyprus.

Opponents raised safety concerns, arguing that the proposed site is only 25 kilometres (15 miles) from a seismic fault line.

The government is expected to make the tender announcement on February 21 and the winning company should start construction later this year.

The plant is expected to become operational in 2013 or 2014.

Guler said preparatory work was also underway to build a second reactor in northern Turkey, near the Black Sea city of Sinop.

Ankara plans to build three nuclear plants with a total capacity of about 5,000 megawatts in hopes of preventing a possible energy shortage and reducing dependence on foreign supplies.

Guler said three billion Turkish lira (2.5 billion dollars, 1.7 billion euros) had been allocated to also build a nuclear technology centre at Sinop. The long-term plan is aimed at developing scientific projects to use nuclear technology in fields such as medicine, engineering and agriculture.

Amid opposition from environmentalists, parliament passed a bill last year setting the legal framework for nuclear plants, authorising the energy ministry to run and finalise construction tenders and decide on the plants' capacity and location.

The law guarantees that the state will buy the plants' production for 15 years.

Officials have said that although the government prefers the private sector to undertake the project, a joint venture between the private and public sectors or construction by the public sector alone could also be considered.

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