Preparation for the launch of unit 1 of the Akkuyu NPP under construction in Türkiye is underway including commissioning and comprehensive verification of all systems, Rosatom noted. In the near future, it is planned to implement the final control stage before starting cold and hot testing.
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. In total, the project provides for the construction of 560 buildings and structures as part of a large-scale infrastructure complex.
“The priority task of Rosatom is to carry out an energy start-up and provide the first electricity at the first unit of the Akkuyu NPP,” said Rosatom Director General Alexey Likhachev, who was visiting the facility. “At the end of last year, the construction readiness of the first unit was about 99% complete and commissioning work was 65% complete. We can say that we are now at the finishing line of the launch. A stable connection with the Turkish energy system has been ensured. The task of the current year is to carry out all necessary procedures under the supervision of Turkish and Russian regulators to prepare for the generation of the first electricity.
He added: “The construction of a NPP in a country that is new to us, using partially imported equipment, is always associated with additional challenges. Nevertheless, I am sure, that both Turkish contractors and all divisions of Rosatom will do everything necessary to ensure that the current year becomes the year Turkey acquires nuclear energy.”
Likhachev visited the plant with Turkish Minister of Energy & Natural Resources Alparslan Bayraktar. They were accompanied by the Chairman of the Board of Directors of project company Akkuyu Nukleer, Anton Dedusenko, Director General Sergei Butskikh and First Deputy Director General & Technical Director Andrey Zhukov.
During the working visit, they discussed the current status of the project and key tasks required to prepare for commissioning. They visited the unit 1 control centre, where employees are already working on shift as planned. Likhachev and Bayraktar inspected the equipment of the completed switchgear which was previously supplied with voltage from an external electrical network. They emphasised that the priority of the project at all stages remains safety, and that all work is carried out in strict accordance with quality requirements and international standards.
