Concreting completed for the containment dome of Akkuyu unit 1

Tuesday, 12 November 2024

Two tower cranes, six concreting booms and 34 mixer trucks were used during the work on the first of the four VVER-1200 units being constructed at the site.

The metal dome for the building was lifted into place in two stages in August and September:

_{The lower part of the metal dome was moved in August (Image: Akkuyu NPP)}

_{The top part of the metal dome took its place in September (Image: Akkuyu NPP)}

Following the concreting, the dome has a thickness of 1.5 metres.

The Rosatom-designed reactors have two containment buildings, providing extra levels of protection and safety, with the outer containment designed to withstand the severest earthquakes and hurricanes.

Sergei Butсkikh, CEO of Akkuyu Nuclear JSC, said: "The outer containment is one of the main safety systems of the power unit. The robust reinforced concrete structure will reliably protect the reactor plant from external impacts. Completion of concreting of the outer containment will give us the opportunity to start installation of another important component of NPP safety - the passive heat removal system."

The background
 

Akkuyu, in the southern Mersin province, is Turkey's first nuclear power plant. Rosatom is building four VVER-1200 reactors, under a so-called BOO (build-own-operate) model. According to the terms of the 2010 Intergovernmental Agreement between the Russian Federation and the Republic of Turkey, the commissioning of the first power unit of the nuclear power plant must take place within seven years from receipt of all permits for the construction of the unit.

_{The four units are being built concurrently (Image: Akkuyu NPP)}

The licence for the construction of the first unit was issued in 2018, with construction work beginning that year. Nuclear fuel was delivered to the site in April 2023. Turkey's Nuclear Regulatory Agency issued permission for the first unit to be commissioned in December, and in February it was announced that the reactor compartment had been prepared for controlled assembly of the reactor - and the generator stator had also been installed in its pre-design position.

The aim is for unit 1 to begin supplying Turkey's energy system in 2025. When the 4800 MWe plant is completed, it is expected to meet about 10% of Turkey's electricity needs, with the aim that all four units will be operational by the end of 2028.