Turkey Starts building first nuclear power plant

Istanbul:
An official ceremony marked the beginning of construction works of Turkey's first nuclear power plant at the Akkuyu nuclear power plant site.

The event featured the Director General of Rosatom State Atomic Energy Corporation Alexey Likhachev and Turkey’s First Deputy Minister of Energy and Natural Resources Fatih Donmez.

The construction work was started under the limited construction permit (LCP) issued by the Turkish Atomic Energy Agency (TAEK) in October 2017. 

Akkuyu nuclear power plant will host power units equipped with third generation VVER-1200 reactors, which correspond to the latest, so-called post-Fukushima, safety standards. Earlier this month, Bangladesh launched the construction of country’s first NPP — Rooppur — also equipped with VVER-1200 power units. The same Russia-design reactors Russia is offering to India to be built on the second site after Kudankulam NPP.

On December 2, 2017, the preparation works at the foundation of the base plate of the reactor building of Unit. 1 were completed. The works were operated by a Turkish company, and were completed in full accordance with the schedule.

In addition to construction works on the site, environmental monitoring activities are being executed. Seismological and meteorological parameters, groundwater and the marine environment are monitored on a regular basis. All the construction works at the Akkuyu nuclear power plant site are carried out in accordance with the Turkish legislation, with the direct participation and coordination by the Turkish Atomic Energy Agency.

The project offers significant opportunities for Turkish suppliers. According to preliminary estimates, the Turkish side will be able to fulfill about 35-40% of all works on the construction of the Akkuyu nuclear power plant, which is equivalent to an amount of 6-8 billion US dollars. More than 350 Turkish companies have applied to be included in the list of potential suppliers, and the first of them have already received orders for the preparation of the infrastructure for the Nuclear power plant. To date, the total number of personnel on the site comprises more than 300 people, of which 90% are citizens of Turkey, residing in the neighboring settlements of Buiakegeli, Silivke, Tashuju, Aydinzhik. Highly qualified engineering and technical services specialists are invited from Turkish companies that are involved in construction of major energy and industrial facilities of the Republic of Turkey.

Concreting the base of the facilities of the "nuclear island" is an important stage in the preparatory work. Under LCP, construction and installation works are carried out at all facilities of the nuclear power plant, with the exception of buildings and constructions related to the security of the "nuclear island".

In March 2018 JSC AKKUYU NUKLEAR plans to obtain a construction license, after which the foundation plate will be concreted to mark the official start of the construction of the first unit of the Akkuyu nuclear power plant (pouring of the "first concrete").