Turkey launched on Tuesday the construction of its first nuclear power plant in the southern province of Mersin, with a ground breaking ceremony that was attended by Turkish Energy Minister Taner Yildiz and other top officials.

The ceremony, which took place amid protests by environmentalists, was also attended by Sergei Kiriyenko, the head of Rosatom, the Russian nuclear agency that will build and operate the Akkuyu power plant.

The specific project in Mersin is the first of three nuclear power plants Turkey currently plans to build and it is expected to cost approximately $20 billion.

“Development cannot happen in a country without nuclear energy,” said Turkish Energy Minister Taner Yildiz on Tuesday, adding that “if the country had built this power station 10 years ago, it would have saved $14 billion in natural gas purchases.”