Akkuyu construction formally starts

Turkey has formally launched construction of its first nuclear power plant with the pouring of concrete for the sub-base foundation of the nuclear island. A ceremony held at the Akkuyu nuclear power plant site to mark the launch on 10 December, followed the issuance of a limited construction permit.

Turkey has formally launched construction of its first nuclear power plant with the pouring of concrete for the sub-base foundation of the nuclear island. A ceremony held at the Akkuyu nuclear power plant site to mark the launch on 10 December, followed the issuance of a limited construction permit.

Likhachov and Dönmez launch the start of construction (Image: Rosatom)

The event was attended by Alexey Likhachov, director general of Russian state nuclear corporation Rosatom, and Fatih Dönmez, Turkey's first deputy minister of energy and natural resources.

According to a Rosatom statement, Likhachov said the Akkuyu project represented the start of 100 years of cooperation in nuclear power between Russia and Turkey.

JSC Akkuyu Nuklear, the Russian-owned company responsible for the project, expects to receive a construction licence in March, after which first safety-related concrete for the plant will be laid. This will be the official start of the Akkuyu plant's construction, Rosatom said.

Excavation of the foundation pit for the base plate of the reactor building of unit 1 at the plant was completed on 2 December, Rosatom said. This work was carried out by a Turkish company and completed on schedule, it added.

In addition to construction work on the site, environmental monitoring activities are continuing, including those for seismic and meteorological parameters, groundwater and the marine environment. All work on the construction of plant is being carried out in accordance with Turkish legislation and with the direct participation and coordination of TAEK, Rosatom said.

The project offers significant opportunities for Turkish suppliers, it said, with about 35-40% of all construction work, with a value of $6-8 billion, to be conducted by them. More than 350 Turkish companies have applied for inclusion in the list of potential suppliers, and the first of them have already received orders for the preparation of the plant’s infrastructure, Rosatom said. To date, the total number of personnel on the site is more than 300 people, of which 90% are Turks.

The project is based on an inter-governmental agreement signed between Russia and Turkey in May 2010. In October 2011, JSC Akkuyu Nuclear received a site licence and in November 2013 its site report received approval.

In December 2014, Turkey's Ministry of Environment and Urban Development approved the project's environmental impact assessment for the project and in February this year the site parameters were agreed.

In March, the project company submitted its application for a construction license and in October it received a limited building permit, which is the first step in this process Rosatom said. It was awarded a 49-year electricity generation licence in June.

JSC Akkuyu Nuklear was established in 2010 to implement the Akkuyu nuclear power plant construction project in Mersin Province, in southern Turkey. The plant will have an installed capacity of 4800 MWe and be of the VVER-1200 design.

Russia commissioned the first VVER-1200 plant - Novovoronezh II-1 in the Voronezh Region of Russia in August last year.

The Akkuyu nuclear power plant will generate about 35 TWh of electricity each year and will be in operation for at least 60 years.

Researched and written
by World Nuclear News