Aleksey Likhachev, General Manager of Russian State Nuclear Energy Corporation Rosatom, visited the Akkuyu Nuclear Power Plant (NGS) construction site and met with the Minister of Energy and Natural Resources, Fatih Dönmez. AKKUYU NÜKLEER A.Ş. to Likhachev during the visit. General Manager Anastasia Zoteeva and the accompanying delegation were also accompanied.
Expressing his sadness about the earthquakes in Kahramanmaraş and Hatay that occurred one after another in Turkey, Rosatom General Manager Likhachev conveyed his condolences to the families of those who lost their lives in the earthquakes and wished the injured a speedy recovery.
Stating that they will do their best to eliminate the severe consequences of the earthquake in their meeting with Minister Dönmez, Likhachev said, “After the earthquake, after meeting with my colleagues working at Akkuyu NPP and getting information, our rescue teams immediately went to Hatay to organize and support the search and rescue efforts. Apart from search and rescue, we have provided assistance in many areas and we will continue to do so.”
Aleksey Likhachev, General Manager of Rosatom, also noted the following regarding their meeting with Minister Dönmez: “All of Rosatom's obligations remain in force. Fresh nuclear fuel will be delivered to the station this spring, thus the Akkuyu NPP site will receive nuclear power plant status. This will be an important development for the global nuclear industry. In the third quarter, we will complete the general construction and assembly works in the first unit and move on to the commissioning phase. Then in a few months we will test the equipment and fuel directly in the reactor in accordance with IAEA requirements. It's an ambitious program, but we're sticking to it rigorously."
After meeting with Energy Minister Dönmez, Aleksey Likhachev met with representatives of Turkish contractors engaged in construction and installation works at Akkuyu NPP site. During the meeting, Aleksey Likhachev gave information about the financing of the project, the plans to build a settlement camp for the operating personnel of Akkuyu NPP, when the fresh nuclear fuel will be delivered to the nuclear power plant site. He also talked about the opportunities for Turkish companies to participate in Rosatom's other overseas projects.