Specialists from Russia’s Titan-2 have completed installation of four main pumping units for the unit 2 technical water supply system of the coastal pumping station at the Akkuyu NPP under construction in Türkiye. This is an important stage in the preparation of turbine island cooling systems.
Powerful centrifugal pumps will supply sea water to the condenser cooling system of the turbine unit. The cooling efficiency of the turbine room equipment and the stable operation of the turbine unit directly depend on their uninterrupted operation. Each pumping unit is the height to a five-story building. The design of the equipment provides for multi-level placement, where the lower part of the pump is installed 21 metres underground, and electric motors with a capacity of 6,500 kW each are installed five metres below ground.
This provides reliable protection of equipment from external influences, including floods and tsunamis. Once the unit is launched, the four pumps will be able to jointly pump up to 260,000 cubic meters of water per hour. This is comparable to about one hundred Olympic swimming pools.
“This is an important stage in the construction of the station’s hydraulic structures. The experience of the first pumping station, where many decisions had to be made literally on the go, played a huge role. Deputy Project Manager at the Akkuyu NPP and Deputy Project Manager of BGTS T2IC. “All comments identified then were taken into account: design decisions were adjusted, requirements for the readiness of premises and structures were clarified. The key innovation is that this time the equipment was installed using a standard overhead crane installed in advance. This significantly improved safety and speed of work.”
T2IC (Titan-2 IC İçtaş İnşaat Anonim Şirketi) is a joint venture established by the Russian Titan-2 Holding and Turkish IC İçtaş for the major construction phases of the Akkuyu nuclear site. BGTS Beregovie GidroTechnicheskie Sooruzheniya) refers to the coastal hydraulic engineering structures encompassing critical maritime infrastructure, including the massive onshore pumping stations, water-intake channels, and hydromechanical equipment installations. As a deputy lead for construction and installation works, Apalkov has overseen critical milestones including the excavation of deep foundational pits (up to 22 metres deep), building storm-protection embankments, and preparing the structural footprint for the pumping stations serving multiple power units. The Akkuyu NPP will eventually host four Russian-designed VVER-1200 reactors. The pouring of first concrete for unit 1 took place in April 2018, for unit 2 in June 2020, for unit 3 in March 2021, and for unit 4 in July 2022. Rosatom is constructing the reactors according to a build-own-operate model. Work continues at the facilities of all four units and auxiliary structures as well as a new town for plant operators.
