Construction of "Akkuyu" - nuclear power plant in Turkey. Origins and fate of the project

2024 Author: Howard Calhoun | [email protected]. Last modified: 2023-12-17 10:16

Recently, relations between Russia and Turkey, being warm and friendly until November 2015, have sharply escalated. The reason for this was the dubious action of the Turkish government, aimed at the Russian Su-24 bomber. Initially, the excited authorities of the Russian Federation showed a firm intention to freeze all joint projects, such as the Turkish Stream and the construction of the Akkuyu nuclear power plant in Turkey, but over time it turned out that the sanctions imposed on Turkey do not include such steps. If you can often hear about the Turkish Stream from the news or read in the newspapers, then there is somewhat less information about the Akkuyu NPP in the media. What is this project and how did such a big idea come about?

The origins and participants of the Akkuyu NPP project

The first official news about the project appeared on January 13, 2010: Deputy Prime Minister of the Russian Federation Igor Sechin and Minister of Energy and Natural Resources of the Republic of Turkey Taner Yildiz announced the start of joint work on the construction of a nuclear power plant on the southern coast of Turkey, in the province of Mersin. Akkuyu NPP thus became the largest confirmed joint project of Russia andTurkey. Subsequently, the project participants were identified and named: Atomenergoproekt OJSC (general designer), Atomstroyexport CJSC (general contractor), Rosenergoatom Concern OJSC (technical customer) and AKKUYU NPP JSC (general customer and investor). Also participating in the project are the Federal State Budgetary Institution National Research Center "Kurchatov Institute", acting as a scientific supervisor, and InterRAO-WorleyParsons LLC, a licensing consultant.

Main planned characteristics of Akkuyu NPP

What will be the nuclear power plant that Turkish and Russian specialists have been building since 2011 to this day? Akkuyu (NPP) is designed as a four-unit plant with a total output power of 4,800 megawatts. VVER-1200 was chosen as the type of nuclear reactors to be used at the station - it was with the project of this type of reactors that Russia won the tender for the construction of the Akkuyu nuclear power plant. Commissioning of the first block of the station is planned for 2020, the second - by 2021, the third and fourth, respectively, in 2022 and 2023.

The attitude of the local population to the construction of nuclear power plants

The Akkuyu site (Turkish ak kuyu - “white well”), where work is underway to build a nuclear power plant, is located in relative proximity to the settlements of Mersin and Buyukageli. Not all local residents positively assessed the initiative of the two countries to build the Akkuyu nuclear power plant. Nuclear power plants, in their opinion, can adversely affect bothenvironment as well as their he alth. Those who had heard about the nuclear disasters at Chernobyl and at the Fukushima nuclear power plant were even more vehemently opposed to the development of the project. In order to prevent the population of nearby cities from becoming a victim of misinformation, information centers will soon open in Mersin and Buyukageli, which will not only enlighten the citizens of Turkey about the project itself, but also tell them in more detail about the advantages of nuclear energy.

Training Turkish specialists in Russia

At the moment, more than a hundred Turkish students are studying at the University of MEPhI (National Research Nuclear University) in Russia. The task of teachers is to prepare students for work at nuclear power plants at the highest level. Turkish specialists, in addition to studying directly within the walls of the university, do internships at the training and technical centers of the Rosatom company. Upon passing through all stages, graduates become members of a huge team of specialists who will serve at the Akkuyu station. A nuclear power plant is an incredibly complex and, in case of insufficient staff competence, a dangerous facility, so not only formal completion of the course plays a role, but also understanding of its essence, therefore the selection of applicants in 2011 was especially strict.

The fate of the Akkuyu NPP project after the events of November 2015

It is still difficult to say whether at least one reactor of the Akkuyu nuclear power plant will be put into operation by 2020. Turkey intends to develop cooperation with Russia on important joint projects,however, relations between the two countries are still tense - the declared sanctions have come into effect, and there is no talk of lifting them. However, both Turkish and Russian media unanimously speak of a gradual warming of relations, as well as the absence of any claims on current major projects. Work on the construction of the nuclear power plant does not stop, which means that the plan is likely to be completed on time.