Akkuyu Nuclear Nuclear Plant Akkuyu Nukleer Anonim Sirketi

Main article: Economy of Turkey

The first nuclear power plant in Turkey. The general designer of the station is Atomenergoproekt, a subsidiary of Rosatom. The Akkuyu NPP construction agreement was signed in May 2010 between the Russian and Turkish governments.

The project provides for the creation of 4 power units with a capacity of 1200 MW each. It is planned that after the completion of construction, this nuclear power plant will produce about 35 billion kWh per year.

Akkuyu NPP is a serial project of the AES-2006 nuclear power plant based on the project of the Novovoronezh AES-2 (Russia, Voronezh region). The life of Akkuyu NPP is 60 years.

What Russia will get

The project is implemented according to the SBI scheme (Build - Own - Operate or "build - own - operate"). Under the terms of the General Contract, the Russian side builds and puts into operation the facility, and the Turkish side will buy 50% of electricity from Akkuyu for 15 years.

The total amount of purchases will be about $32 billion. The duration of the contract may be some guarantee of predictability in the difficult bilateral relations between Russia and Turkey. It also remains possible to sell the remaining 50% of electricity at market prices.

What Turkey will get

The main goal of Turkey is to create a network of nuclear power plants that can not only cut off domestic needs, but also send a significant part of electricity for export to Europe.

For 2023, we are talking about 12-16 power units - these are three or four stations of a standard configuration. The main emphasis is on the localization of production with the further goal of focusing in Turkey the ecosystem of the construction of such structures.

To do this, Turkish companies need to get technologies from Russia. The country's authorities are striving to monetize their position as an intermediary between Russia and Europe and provide the republic with a technological advantage over most EU countries in this area.

For 2023, Russia is the only supplier with advanced technologies in the field of nuclear power and is ready to discuss their comprehensive transfer with a high level of localization.

The nuclear power plant project in conjunction with a gas hub will allow the authorities in Ankara to control a significant amount of gas, oil and electricity supplies to the EU countries.

As of May 2023, about 400 Turkish students have already been trained on the basis of Russian universities in the Rosatom circuit. Turkish nuclear power specialists are also being trained at Mersin University and at the Akkuyu NPP site. This will increase the Turkish scientific potential.

Local subcontractors will form a full-fledged production cluster, ensuring the development of the economy and tax revenues to the state budget.

The project will also require the creation of tens of thousands of new jobs, which can be used as political slogans.

The joint development of nuclear power will theoretically avoid sanctions pressure. Formally, contracts for new nuclear power plants can be concluded by a joint venture between Rosatom and the Turkish side.

This will probably allow Turkish partners to apply for interest from Rosatom's foreign projects only for providing a legal shell.

History

2023

The first power unit received permission from the Turkish authorities for commissioning

The first power unit of the Akkuyu NPP under construction in Turkey in December 2023 received permission from the Turkish authorities to put it into operation. The next stage will be to obtain a license for the operation of the first power unit, which will allow you to start loading nuclear fuel into the reactor and start pre-launch control operations.

Nuclear fuel transfer for nuclear power plants

On April 27, 2023, the transfer of nuclear fuel for the Akkuyu NPP took place: this is a key stage in construction. The flagship foreign project of Rosatom dedicated to the 100th anniversary of the Republic of Turkey is a landmark for the team of President Erdogan.

2022

Completion of internal containment installation at power unit No.1

At power unit No. 1 of Akkuyu NPP, the dome of the inner containment was installed in the design position and thereby completed the formation of the sealing circuit. Rosatom announced this on January 2, 2022.

2022 was a difficult year, but very successful and productive! As planned on New Year's Eve, we completed the installation of the dome of the internal containment - this is an important stage in the construction of the first power unit. We are getting closer to the key event of 2023 - the delivery of fresh nuclear fuel to the Akkuyu NPP site. We still have to install the external containment and other acceptance work before completing the construction of the first unit, - said Anastasia Zoteeva, General Director of Akkuyu Nuclear JSC.

The VZR dome has a spherical shape and consists of 16 mounting sections weighing 215 tons. The dome also includes the steel structure of the splinker system maintenance platforms weighing 46 tons. Especially for raising the dome to a height of + 61,700 meters, a 75-ton crossbeam was developed and manufactured. The total weight of the structure lifted by the Liebherr LR 13000 crane was 340 tons. Pre-assembly of the dome was carried out at the Akkuyu NPP site and took 3.5 months.

After concreting the dome part of the containment, the final stage of construction and installation of the outer containment will begin.

Construction and installation works at the Akkuyu NPP site are carried out in all areas of the construction of main and auxiliary facilities: four power units, onshore hydraulic structures, power generation system, administrative buildings, training center, physical protection facilities of the future NPP. All stages of construction at the Akkuyu NPP site are carefully monitored by independent inspection organizations and the national regulator - the Nuclear Regulatory Agency of Turkey (NDK)^[1].

Contract break with T2IC

Rosatom terminated the contract with the general contractor T2IC due to numerous violations during the construction of the Akkuyu NPP. This became known on August 8, 2022. The contract with IC Ictas was terminated by a subsidiary of Rosatom Akkuyu Nükleer Anonim Şirketi at the end of July 2022^[2].

Work on the construction site continues as usual, Akkuyu Nuclear reported. The subcontracted organizations re-sign contracts with the main contractor - TSM ENERJİ İNŞAAT SANAYİ LİMİTED ŞİRKETİ (TSM).

Meanwhile, Rosatom explains that they have changed the contractor to the more qualified company TSM Enerji, whose employees have specialized skills in nuclear construction, and therefore will be able to "ensure the quality of work that meets the construction and commissioning deadlines."

Since T2IC refused to terminate the contract by agreement of the parties and demonstrated financial insolvency, Akkuyu Nuclear decided to pay T2IC employees a salary for July from its own funds. To experts at whom salary is established in Turkish liras indexation for 35%^[3] is made^[4].

Agreement to receive $15 billion from Rosatom to complete the construction of Akkuyu NPP

Rosatom plans to gradually transfer $15 billion to finance the completion of the Akkuyu NPP project in southern Turkey. This became known on July 27, 2022.

As a result of negotiations between the Minister of Finance and Treasury of Turkey Nureddin Nebati and the Russian side, $5 billion was transferred at the first stage within the framework of the Akkuyu NPP project. The remaining part of the amount will be transferred to the bank account of AKKUYU NUCLEAR before the end of next week.

An intergovernmental agreement between Turkey and Russia on cooperation in the construction and operation of a nuclear power plant at the Akkuyu site in Mersin Province was signed on May 12, 2010. The design of the first Turkish NPP includes four power units with reactors VVER-1200 a total capacity of 4800 megawatts. The first NPP unit will be put into operation in 2023, on the 100th anniversary of the formation of the Republic of Turkey.

The nuclear power plant will generate electricity for 60 years. It is planned that the nuclear power plant will provide 10 percent of Turkey's electricity needs.

At the end of July 2022, 783 people were involved in the Akkuyu NPP construction project. At the peak of construction, about nine thousand people will be involved in it. After the commissioning of the nuclear power plant, 3.5 thousand people will work on it.

The nuclear power plant will continuously generate electricity 24 hours a day and seven days a week without damaging the environment^[5]

Akkuyu NPP construction project - in active phase

According to February 2022, the Akkuyu NPP construction project is in active phase. The total cost of the project is estimated at $20 billion. ROSATOM's share in the project is 99.2%.

All works on construction and measures to develop the infrastructure of the Akkuyu NPP construction site are carried out with mandatory implementation of the current norms and laws of the Republic of Turkey, as well as the recommendations of the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) for the entire period of construction and operation of the nuclear power plant.

AKKUYU NUCLEAR JSC closely cooperates with the Turkish side, developing constructive partnerships. Regular negotiations and working consultations, coordination of design solutions and licensing issues with the Ministry power engineering specialists of Natural Resources of the Republic of Turkey, the Ministry of Environment and Urban Planning, the Ministry of Water and Forestry, the Treasury, state with organizations: EUAS (generation company electric power), TEIAS state (power grid operation company), NDK (Nuclear Regulatory Agency), TAEK (Turkish Atomic Agency to power), other departments.

The main volume of supplies of equipment and high-tech products for the implementation of the project falls on Russian enterprises, but the project also provides for the maximum participation of Turkish companies in construction and installation work, as well as the participation of companies from other countries. Subsequently, Turkish specialists will be involved in the operation of the NPP at all stages of its life cycle.

2021: First Reactor Commissioning Plan 2023

The Efficiency Program for 2021 of the Ministry of Energy and Natural Resources of Turkey provides a roadmap for the construction of the Akkuyu NPP, according to which Turkey plans to complete the construction of 27.5% of its first nuclear power plant by the end of 2021.

Although the estimated completion rate for 2022 is defined as 41.25%, the project is expected to progress 56.25% in 2023.

The station will have four units with generation III + VVER-1200, the commissioning of the first of four reactors is scheduled for 2023. The remaining three units are to be operational by the end of 2026 at a rate of one per year to eventually have a total installed capacity of 4,800 Megawatts.

Total electricity consumption in Turkey in 2020 amounted to 305 billion kWh. It is expected that Akkuyu NPP will provide about 10% of the electricity consumed in the country.

2010: Akkuyu Nuclear Power Plant Construction Agreement

On May 12, 2010, a cooperation agreement was signed between the Governments of the Russian Federation and the Republic of Turkey, providing for the construction of the Akkuyu nuclear power plant on the southern coast of Turkey in Mersin province, consisting of four power units with reactors VVER-1200 a total capacity of 4800 MW.

Under the terms of the agreement, on December 13, 2010, the Russian side established a project company on the territory of the Republic of Turkey - AKKUYU NUCLEAR Joint-Stock Company (AKKUYU NÜKLEER ANONİM ŞİRKETİ).

The Akkuyu NPP construction project in Turkey became the first NPP project in the world to be implemented according to the BOO model (Build - Own - Operate = Stroy - Vladey - Operate). As part of the long-term contract, the company is committed to the design, construction, maintenance, operation and decommissioning of the plant.