Moscow. April 27. INTERFAX - The Russian side, represented by the Rosatom state Corporation, handed over to Turkey a certificate of delivery of the first nuclear fuel to the Akkuyu NPP in the country, the corresponding ceremony was broadcast by the Rossiya-24 TV channel.
Thus, Turkey has entered the list of countries using nuclear energy, the press center of the nuclear industry noted.
As the head of Rosatom Alexey Likhachev said earlier on Thursday, the physical launch of the Akkuyu NPP in Turkey is scheduled for next year. "We plan to make a physical start-up next year, bring the reactor to a minimum controlled capacity and begin a phased set of reactor power in order to produce electricity steadily in 2025," he said, noting that the relevant deadlines are fixed in agreements between the countries within the framework of intergovernmental agreements.
Earlier it was reported that the launch could take place this year, by the centenary of the Turkish Republic.
The Akkuyu NPP is built according to the BOO scheme, when the Russian side acts as the owner of a foreign NPP. Rosatom companies now own almost 100% in the capital of Akkuyu Nuclear. The cost of the NPP construction project is about $22 billion.
It is assumed that the station will consist of four power units with a capacity of 1200 MW each. The first concrete was poured for the first unit of the Akkuyu NPP on April 3, 2018, and the first concrete was poured for block N2 at the end of June 2020. The start of the construction of unit N3 of this NPP was given on March 10, 2021, and in July 2022 Rosatom began construction of the fourth power unit.
It was reported that Rosatom plans to complete general construction installation work at the NPP site in the third quarter of 2023 and proceed to commissioning. "Then, within a few months, in accordance with the requirements of the IAEA, we will test the equipment and fuel directly in the reactor. This is an ambitious schedule, but we strictly adhere to it," said the head of Rosatom (he was quoted by the corporate publication "The Country of Rosatom").