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The first reactor unit of Türkiye's Akkuyu Nuclear Power Plant is expected to begin generating electricity in the autumn or winter of this year, according to the head of Russia's state nuclear corporation Rosatom.
Alexei Likhachev said the project had reached a key milestone after receiving authorization this week to begin loading the reactor core with test assemblies ahead of fuel loading.
"We have good news. This week we received permission to load the reactor core at the first reactor in Akkuyu. This means that within a month we will simulate operating conditions and check the entire system before loading the fuel and assessing its readiness," Likhachev told journalists on the sidelines of the St. Petersburg International Economic Forum, according to Russian state news agency RIA Novosti.
"Everything brings us closer to the fact that the physical start-up and power launch will take place in the autumn-winter of this year," he added.
The announcement came as final checks continue on equipment and systems at the first unit of the nuclear plant in Türkiye's southern Mersin province.
Akkuyu Nuclear Inc. General Manager Sergei Butckikh told Anadolu that construction and commissioning activities are continuing simultaneously across all four reactor units.
"We are currently at a very important stage in the first unit. All equipment and systems are being put through the necessary control operations and made ready for the commissioning phase," Butckikh said.
He described the project as having entered a critical stage, with work on the first unit accelerating ahead of its planned commissioning.
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Butckikh said installation work on the turbine plant is continuing at the second unit, while welding operations have begun on the main circulation pipeline.
Construction activities at the third and fourth units are also progressing, he added.
The Akkuyu Nuclear Power Plant will consist of four reactors, each with an installed capacity of 1,200 megawatts.
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.
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