Reactor, one of four under construction, expected to be fully operational in 2028
The “full-scale” commissioning phase has begun for Unit 1 of the Akkuyu nuclear power station under construction in southwest Turkey, Russian project developer Rosatom said.
Alexey Likhachev, head of the Russian state-owned nuclear power corporation, this week visited the site near Mersin on Turkey’s Mediterranean coast.
Likhachev said works on the nuclear island for the VVER-1200 pressurised water reactor unit are going according to schedule.
He said Rosatom is expecting to begin inspecting the primary circuit, conduct hydraulic tests, and load fuel simulators directly into the reactor core by the end of 2024.
In December 2023, the Turkish Nuclear Regulatory Agency issued a commissioning permit for Akkuyu-1.
The $20bn (€18.7bn) Akkuyu nuclear power station will have four Generation III+ VVER-1200 units, with the first expected to come online in 2025 and a further unit starting every year afterwards.
Construction of Akkuyu-1 began in April 2018 and was initially planned for completion in 2023.
Earlier reports have said that Akkuyu will meet 10% of Turkey’s electricity demand when fully operational in 2028.
Turkey wants to generate slightly over 11% of electricity from nuclear energy by 2035, and 29% by 2053 to reach its climate goals, Turkish officials have said.
