MOSCOW, July 18Full-scale commissioning work is actively underway at power unit No. 1 of the Akkuyu nuclear power plant in Turkey, its reactor is being prepared to load nuclear fuel simulators in preparation for launch, said Rosatom General Director Alexei Likhachev.
“Regarding the Akkuyu NPP and its current status: the main efforts are focused on preparing for the launch of the first power unit — we are actively carrying out full-scale commissioning work, at the current stage we are preparing the reactor installation for loading fuel simulators. We understand how important it is for the Turkish side to launch the “first nuclear electricity» into the Turkish energy system as soon as possible,» Likhachev said following a working meeting in Istanbul with Turkish Energy Minister Alparslan Bayraktar. Likhachev's words are quoted by the press service of Rosatom.
Rosatom previously manufactured and shipped to Turkey nuclear fuel simulators — mock-ups of fuel cassettes and equipment for testing the so-called simulation zone — mock-ups of reactor control and protection absorber rods, nuclear fuel incoming inspection tools.
Before the launch of a new power unit, mock-ups of fuel cassettes (simulators) are first loaded into the reactor core and then unloaded to test the operation of key systems of the reactor plant. When forming a simulated reactor zone, all operations are performed as if the work was carried out with nuclear fuel, which, in preparation for the start-up of the reactor facility, makes it possible to practice procedures for handling nuclear fuel on simulators in conditions as close as possible to operation.
Nuclear fuel for the first unit of the Akkuyu NPP was delivered to the nuclear plant site at the end of April 2023. That solemn ceremony was attended by Russian President Vladimir Putin and Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan via video link.
The construction of Turkey's first nuclear power plant, Akkuyu, became the largest joint Russian-Turkish project. It is planned that after the commissioning of all four power units with advanced Russian VVER-1200 reactors with a capacity of 1200 MW, each station will generate about 35 billion kWh per year and cover up to 10% of Turkey's electricity needs.