The sixth tier of the internal containment (VZO – Vnutrennei Zatsitnoi Obolochki) has been installed at unit 2 of the Akkuyu NPP under construction in Türkiye. Installation took about four hours. The builders used a heavy crawler crane and a special traverse with a hydraulic adjustment system, which ensured precise positioning of the structure during lifting and installation.
During the previous three months the sixth tier was assembled on a slipway site. The structure was formed from 30 separate elements. The total weight of the tier was 141 tonnes and the base diameter was 44 metres.
Installation of the internal containment shell is considered one of the most critical stages in the construction of a reactor building. The VZO ensures the tightness of the reactor compartment and is an important part of the plant’s safety system.
In total, about 40 workers from T2IC and TSM-Enerji took part in the installation of the sixth tier. T2IC and TSM Enerji are the two primary construction entities tied to the Akkuyu NPP project, which is being developed by Russia’s Rosatom.
The two entities are connected through a major project transition. T2IC (Titan-2 IC Içtaş Construction) was a joint venture between the Russia’s Titan-2 (general contractor) and the Turkish company IC Içtaş. It served as the main engineering, procurement, and construction (EPC) contractor for the Akkuyu NPP, managing tens of thousands of workers. TSM Enerji (TSM Enerji İnşaat Sanayi Limited Şirketi) is a Turkey-incorporated company owned by Russian groups, which was selected by Rosatom to take over as the primary EPC lead for the project.
In mid-2022, Rosatom terminated its overarching agreement with the T2IC joint venture and TSM Enerji was brought in to oversee and wrap up the remaining construction work. To avoid disruptions, all workers, engineers, and managers who were previously employed under T2IC were encouraged to transfer their contracts directly to TSM Enerji, with all employee rights and payments preserved.
