The construction of the 4th unit of Akkuyu Nuclear Power Plant (NGS), Turkey's first nuclear power plant, officially started with a ceremony held at the site. With the start of the construction of the 4th power unit, the Akkuyu NPP Project has entered the stage where the work will be most intense.
The ceremony was attended by the Minister of Energy and Natural Resources of the Republic of Turkey Fatih Dönmez, the Head of the Parliamentary Energy Commission Ziya Altunyaldız, the Russian State Atomic Energy Agency Rosatom General Manager Aleksey Likhachev, AKKUYU NÜKLEER A.Ş. General Manager Anastasia Zoteeva, Mersin Governor Ali Hamza Pehlivan, Republic of Turkey Ministry of Energy and Natural Resources Deputy Minister Alparslan Bayraktar, Turkish Nuclear Regulatory Authority President Zafer Demircan and Nuclear Energy and International Projects General Manager Afşın Burak Bostancı attended.
In his speech at the ceremony, Rosatom General Manager Aleksey Likhachev said: “Akkuyu NPP is the flagship of the Russian State Atomic Energy Agency Rosatom's projects outside of Russia. At the Akkuyu NPP site, which is our biggest construction project, the construction of nuclear infrastructure facilities will now be carried out in 4 units at the same time. Together with you, we can see what a tremendous job has been done for the construction work of the nuclear power plant. Thanks to the efficient cooperation between Russian and Turkish companies, the interest of Turkish industry in the project and the creation of an efficient supply chain, I can confidently say that our project is an important example of the interaction between the two countries. Making a choice in favor of modern and reliable Russian nuclear technologies, the Republic of Turkey will secure its goal of achieving energy stability for decades with the Akkuyu NPP.”
The Minister of Energy and Natural Resources of the Republic of Turkey, Fatih Dönmez, used the following statements in his speech: “The Akkuyu Nuclear Power Plant is the largest single investment in the history of our Republic. When completed, the 4 reactors will meet 10 percent of our electricity demand alone. Akkuyu will play an important role not only with the electricity it will produce, but also with its contribution to our green energy goal. Akkuyu will prevent 35 million tons of carbon emissions per year and a total of 60 billion tons of carbon emissions during its 2.1 years of operation. State-of-the-art third-generation VVER-1200 type reactors with the highest safety standards will also be used in Akkuyu. Thus, we will support our energy supply security with an environmentally friendly, competitive and reliable energy source.”
The license for the construction of the 4th power unit of Akkuyu NPP was granted by the Turkish Nuclear Regulatory Authority (NDK) in October 2021. Before the concrete pouring works, a number of preparations were made, such as drainage works, pit excavation works, installation of the concrete pad and waterproofing, reinforcement of the foundation and installation of buried parts. Reinforced concrete is poured into the foundation of the unit to be built. The foundation is divided into 16 blocks called “casting”. A total of 17 thousand cubic meters of concrete mixture will be poured on the foundation. The concreting height will be 2,6 meters, and the average volume of each block will be 100 cubic meters.
Concrete pouring, laboratory experts of the concrete factory, AKKUYU NÜKLEER A.Ş. representatives, main construction contractor TITAN 2 IC İçtaş İnşaat A.Ş. joint venture and under the supervision of independent construction control organizations.
Construction work continues throughout the site. In the 1st unit, the concreting of the foundation plates of the reactor building and turbine building has been completed. At the same time, the core holder, reactor pressure vessel, steam generators, main circulation pump units were installed and the welding of the main circulation pipeline was completed. The fifth layer of the inner protection shell (IKK) was also installed in the unit. Currently, the 6th layer of the inner protection shell, which is the lower part of the dome, is being assembled and the pole crane is pre-assembled. In the second unit, the core holder was installed, the foundation plates of the reactor building were concreted and the turbine building was completed. Also installed the third layer of the inner protection shell. While the reinforcement of the foundation floors of the reactor building and turbine building was completed in the 2rd unit, concrete was poured on the foundation of the turbine building and the reactor building and a core holder was installed.
Turkish companies are actively involved in the implementation of the Akkuyu NPP Project. There are hundreds of Turkish companies providing materials, equipment and services to the project and carrying out various studies. The volume of orders given to Turkish suppliers has already exceeded 3 billion dollars. The project makes a significant contribution to the development of the region's infrastructure and employment growth.
Currently, more than 80 thousand people, 25% of whom are citizens of the Republic of Turkey, work at the Akkuyu NPP site. Workers in the region are actively involved in the project. In the last year alone, more than 600 people from Gülnar district were employed on the field. According to the Social Security Institution of the Republic of Turkey, Akkuyu NPP is the largest employer in Mersin.
All work in the project is in close cooperation with the approval of the Ministry of Energy and Natural Resources, the Nuclear Regulatory Authority (NDK), the Turkish Energy, Atomic Energy and Mining Research Institute (TENMAK), other relevant units of the Republic of Turkey and the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA). being executed in.
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