Akkuyu nuclear power plant completes loading of dummy fuel assemblies into reactor

All 163 dummy fuel assemblies have been loaded into the core of the reactor vessel at Unit 1 of the Akkuyu nuclear power plant in Turkey’s Mersin province. The step is an important milestone in commissioning the unit and helps verify the readiness of the technology and personnel ahead of further pre-start-up tests.

According to Rosatom, the dummy fuel assemblies have the same design, weight and dimensions as actual fuel assemblies, but contain no nuclear material. Loading them therefore makes it possible to safely verify fuel handling, the operation of the fuel-loading equipment and staff coordination in conditions similar to those of future operation.

Akkuyu Nuclear CEO Sergey Butskikh described the completion of the operation as a “dress rehearsal” ahead of loading actual nuclear fuel. Work on the reactor top is due to follow, along with cold and hot tests of the reactor unit’s equipment.

Turkey’s first nuclear power plant

Akkuyu is the first nuclear power plant to be built in Turkey. The project comprises four VVER-1200 Generation III+ pressurized water reactors supplied by Russia’s Rosatom. Once completed, the plant will have a total installed electrical capacity of 4.8 GW and, according to project data, is expected to meet around a tenth of Turkey’s electricity consumption.

The project is being carried out under a build-own-operate model. Rosatom is therefore not only building the plant but is also set to own and operate it through the project company Akkuyu Nuclear. The project is based on a 2010 intergovernmental agreement between Russia and Turkey.

First unit set to start up 8 years after construction began

Construction of the first unit began in 2018, while work on the fourth unit started in July 2022. All four units are therefore now officially under construction. The project has, however, been delayed compared with the original plans, and the current schedule envisages the first unit generating electricity by the end of 2026.

According to Reuters, Russia provided new financing of $9 billion for the Akkuyu project at the end of 2025. Reuters also reported that the plant is being built under a 2010 agreement that valued the project at around $20 billion.