Turkey completes its first nuclear unit at Akkuyu and begins testing

The first unit of Turkey’s first nuclear power plant has reached an important milestone. After eight years, technicians have completed its construction and begun cold tests. Before its first start-up, the VVER-type unit with an installed capacity of 1200 MW will also undergo hot tests and nuclear fuel loading. The four-unit Akkuyu nuclear power plant is being built by Russian company Rosatom. Turkey plans to build more nuclear power plants with Chinese and South Korean partners.

Russian energy company Rosatom announced that it had completed construction of the first nuclear unit in Turkey. The first unit at the Akkuyu nuclear power plant, a VVER-1200 with an installed capacity of 1200 MW, will now undergo a series of tests before fuel is loaded into the reactor. Technicians have begun with cold hydraulic tests, which are intended to verify the leak-tightness and strength of the reactor components.

“We are celebrating the completion of construction work. Cold hydraulic tests of the reactor have begun and will last several weeks. Only a few weeks remain before commissioning operations begin. Based on the results of all the completed tests, we will carry out an inspection and make adjustments for the final stage,” said Alexey Likhachev, CEO of Rosatom.

During the cold tests, the unit will also undergo flushing of the primary and secondary circuits, and experts will verify the system’s performance and its compliance with design specifications. Before it officially enters service, which Rosatom plans for later this year, the unit will also undergo hot functional tests.

One-tenth of electricity from nuclear power within 3 years

Russia began construction of Turkey’s first nuclear power plant in 2018 under an intergovernmental agreement signed in 2010. Rosatom is primarily responsible for both construction and operation under the BOO (build-own-operate) model.

Construction of the next three units began in 2020, 2021 and 2022. Once completed, Akkuyu will have an installed capacity of 4.8 GW and account for around 10% of Turkey’s generation mix. Rosatom plans to begin commercial operation of the fourth unit in 2028.

“The first unit has 1,930 employees, more than 40% of whom are Turkish citizens. We are proud that they are graduates of our universities, who are now receiving training and practical experience on Russian simulators and at nuclear power plants,” Likhachev added.

Turkey does not want its first nuclear power plant to be its last and is planning two more in cooperation with China and South Korea. The government’s target is to reach 20 GW of nuclear capacity by 2050.