en.Wedoany.com Reported - On May 26, Sergey Butckikh, General Manager of Turkey's Akkuyu Nuclear Power Plant, stated that construction work on all four reactor units of the plant is progressing simultaneously. Unit 1 is currently in a critical phase, with all equipment and systems undergoing necessary inspections and preparations for commissioning. In an interview with the press, Butckikh said that preparations are underway for the primary circuit hydrostatic test, loading of simulated fuel assemblies into the reactor, and hot and cold functional testing phases, which are considered among the most critical stages before commissioning.
The Akkuyu Nuclear Power Plant, built by Russia's State Atomic Energy Corporation Rosatom under a nearly $20 billion agreement signed in 2010, is located in Mersin Province, southern Turkey. It consists of four reactors with a total installed capacity of 4,800 megawatts, each reactor capable of generating 1,200 megawatts. Butckikh indicated that the first reactor is expected to become operational in the coming months, with all systems and equipment gradually transitioning to operational mode in preparation for the nuclear fuel loading phase.
Meanwhile, construction of the plant's remaining units is also progressing steadily. Butckikh revealed that turbine installation work is underway for the second unit, welding operations on the main circulation pipeline have begun, and construction of the third and fourth phase projects is proceeding in an orderly manner. In a statement issued the same day, the company announced that the third reactor unit recently achieved an important installation milestone—the installation of a 350-ton capacity main bridge crane in the turbine hall. The crane installation operation, which used a heavy-duty crawler crane and took approximately six hours, will subsequently be used to transport heavy equipment and materials such as turbine rotors, turbine generator components, and pipe sections weighing over 100 tons, as well as support maintenance and periodic repair work on turbine facilities.
Once fully operational, the Akkuyu Nuclear Power Plant is expected to meet approximately 10% of Turkey's electricity demand, with a design operational life of 60 years and the possibility of a 20-year extension. Turkey aims to achieve 7.2 gigawatts of nuclear power installed capacity by 2035 and 20 gigawatts by 2050, and plans to supplement traditional nuclear plants with small modular reactors. Additionally, Turkey is currently in negotiations with South Korea, China, Russia, and the United States regarding the construction of two additional nuclear power plants in Sinop Province and the Thrace region.
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