VIENNA - Energy and Natural Resources Minister Hilmi Guler on Tuesday signed an agreement in Vienna regarding establishment of Hydrogen Energy Research Center in Istanbul.
Guler signed the agreement together with United Nations Industrial Development Organization (UNIDO) Director General Carlos Magarinos.
The International Hydrogen Technologies Center, which is planned to take effect at the beginning of 2004 with the cooperation of UNIDO, will have a donation fund.
Financial cost of the agreement was determined as 40 million U.S. dollars.
Under the agreement, Turkish government will allocate land and building to the center, and will donate 1.5 million U.S. dollars in the first year after signing of the agreement.
Speaking after signing ceremony, Guler said that many experts in the world would come to Turkey to have studies.
Guler said, ''U.S., Japan, and European Union (EU) member countries are interested in hydrogen energy. We started this competition together with those countries. I believe that we will have positive results.''
Prof. Nejat Veziroglu, currently acting as the Chairman of Miami University Clean Energy Institute, will act as the director of the center that will take effect next year.
Guler also met with International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) Chairman Mohammed El Baradei for half an hour, and exchanged views about studies in Turkey on nuclear energy and cooperation between IAEA and Turkey.
(AY) 21.10.2003