Newsletters
Construction work on the first power unit of the Akkuyu Nuclear Power Plant, Türkiye's first nuclear power facility, has been completed, Rosatom Director General Alexei Likhachev said Monday during a visit to the plant.
According to a statement issued by Akkuyu Nuclear JSC, all construction work on the plant's first unit has been completed, while preparations are actively continuing for cold and hot tests, the next stage of the commissioning process at the unit's reactor facility.
Following the loading of dummy fuel, specialists completed the installation of the protective tube unit and the upper reactor unit, successfully completing one of the most critical stages in preparing the reactor facility for cold and hot tests.
According to the statement, a delegation headed by Likhachev, director general of Russia's State Nuclear Energy Corporation Rosatom, visited the Akkuyu NPP site, which is being built by Rosatom.
As part of the visit, Likhachev inspected commissioning work at the first power unit. He also visited the central hall of the reactor building of Akkuyu NPP's first power unit, where he was briefed on the successful completion of the loading of dummy fuel assemblies into the reactor and the reactor assembly process.
Likhachev, whose remarks were included in the statement, said construction work had been completed.
"We officially confirm that construction work has been completed. Cold hydrostatic tests in the reactor began overnight today, and these works are planned to be completed within the next few weeks. After that, only a few weeks will remain before commissioning operations begin. Based on the results of all the work carried out, a comprehensive assessment will be made, and the necessary arrangements for the final stage will be implemented," he said.
"This process is like the last 100 meters of a 42-kilometer marathon. We have now entered the final stretch. At this stage, all resources must be mobilized. One of the most important elements of the final preparation process is the start of duty by operating personnel. The number of personnel who will serve at the first power unit is 1,930. More than 40% of these specialists are citizens of the Republic of Türkiye. We are very proud of this. A significant portion of these specialists have graduated from our universities and are currently continuing training and practical internship programs at simulators and nuclear power plants in Russia," Likhachev added.
Akkuyu NPP is the first nuclear power plant under construction in the Republic of Türkiye. The project consists of four power units with Russian-designed VVER generation 3+ reactors. Each power unit will have a capacity of 1,200 megawatts.
The construction of Akkuyu NPP is the first project in the global nuclear industry to be implemented under the build-own-operate organizational and economic model.
Following the commissioning of the first reactor, the remaining three units are expected to enter service at intervals of approximately one year.
Once all four units become operational, the plant is expected to generate around 10% of Türkiye's electricity demand.
The facility has a planned operating life of 60 years, with the possibility of a further 20-year extension.
Set as preferred source
Set as preferred source
1 min read
1 min read
