On December 10, 2017, a ceremonial groundbreaking ceremony was held at the Akkuyu NPP site within the framework of the Limited Construction Permit (LCP) issued by the Turkish Atomic Energy Agency (TAEK).
The event was attended by the CEO of Rosatom State Corporation Alexey Likhachev and the First Deputy Minister of Energy and Natural Resources of the Republic of Turkey Fatih Donmez.
Concreting the base of the "nuclear island" facilities is an important stage of preparatory work. As part of the ORS, construction and installation works are carried out at all facilities of the nuclear power plant, with the exception of buildings and structures related to the safety of the "nuclear island".
“Today, local residents are present at the ceremony, and I would like to take this opportunity to say to you: “Thank you for your support!” Rosatom has decided to establish a Public Council of the Akkuyu NPP for ongoing dialogue and joint participation in the implementation of the project. We have almost 100 years of cooperation ahead of us, until the station supplies Turkey with clean electricity,” said Alexey Likhachev.
On December 2, 2017, the preparation of the foundation slab of the reactor building of the power unit No. 1 of the station was completed. A Turkish company was involved in the work, which completed their execution exactly on schedule.
In addition to construction work, environmental monitoring activities continue on the site: seismological and meteorological parameters, groundwater and marine environment are regularly monitored. All work on the construction of the Akkuyu NPP is carried out in accordance with Turkish legislation, with the direct participation and approval of the Turkish Atomic Energy Agency.
The implementation of the project opens up significant opportunities for Turkish suppliers. According to preliminary estimates, the Turkish side will be able to carry out about 35-40% of all work on the construction of the Akkuyu NPP, which is equivalent to 6-8 billion euros. More than 350 Turkish companies have applied to be included in the list of potential suppliers, and the first of them have already received orders for the preparation of the NPP infrastructure. To date, the total number of personnel on the site is more than 300 people, of which 90% are citizens of Turkey, attracted to work from the nearby settlements of Buyukeceli, Silivke, Tashuju, Aydinjik. Highly qualified specialists from Turkish companies that built the largest energy and industrial facilities of the Republic of Turkey have been invited to work.
In March 2018, Akkuyu Nuclear JSC plans to obtain a construction license, after which the foundation slab will be concreted ("first concrete"). This will be the official start of the construction of the Akkuyu NPP.
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The project for the construction of Turkey's first nuclear power plant is being implemented on the basis of an Intergovernmental Agreement signed between the Russian Federation and the Republic of Turkey in May 2010. On October 13, 2011, TAEK handed over to Akkuyu Nuclear JSC the current site license, and in November 2013, it approved the updated fundamental site report prepared within the framework of the site license conditions for the construction of the Akkuyu nuclear power plant with an installed capacity of 4,800 MW. On December 1, 2014, the Ministry of Environment and Urban Planning of the Republic of Turkey approved the environmental impact assessment (EIA) report developed by Akkuyu Nuclear JSC for the nuclear power plant. On February 9, 2017, TAEK agreed on the parameters of the Akkuyu nuclear power plant site, after which, on March 3, 2017, an application was submitted to the Agency for a construction license. On October 19, 2017, Akkuyu Nuclear JSC received from TAEK a limited construction permit (LCP), which is the first stage on the path to obtaining a nuclear power plant construction license. The LCP allows for the excavation of the foundation pit of Unit 1 to the design level, the construction of the foundation slab for the main and auxiliary buildings and structures, the vertical planning of the site, the backfilling of the Akkuyu Bay to the +10.5 meter mark, the construction of the West and East cargo terminals, the construction of the east and south water discharge channels, the construction of temporary buildings and structures, a fire station, fire water reservoirs, and a fire-fighting pump station.
Akuyu Nuclear JSC is a company established in 2010 to implement the project for the construction of the Akkuyu NPP in the south of Turkey in the province of Mersin. The VVER-1200 power units of the Akkuyu NPP belong to the most modern developments of the III+ generation with enhanced safety systems that meet all existing requirements. This is a serial Russian project of a nuclear power plant based on the Novovoronezh NPP-2 project (Russia, Voronezh region), the first unit of which was commissioned on August 5, 2016. After completion of construction, the Akkuyu NPP will generate about 35 billion kWh per year. The service life will be at least 60 years.
