Turkey’s Ministry of Energy and Natural Resources has issued a licence for the construction of the third unit of the Akkuyu nuclear power plant being built by Akkuyu Nuclear (part of Rosatom).
"A licence has been issued for the construction of the third unit of the Akkuyu nuclear power plant. The first reactor will be commissioned in 2023, and our energy portfolio will be diversified with a new energy source. The energy of the Akkuyu nuclear power plant will illuminate the whole of Turkey," the Ministry statement said.
A Limited Work Permit for Akkuyu 3 was approved in July and work is currently underway to complete a concrete pad under the foundation slabs of the reactor building and the turbine building. Once reinforcement is competed "in accordance with the newly obtained licence, we will commence foundation concrete works," said Alexey Frolov, managing director for International Cooperation, Akkuyu Nuclear.
The Akkuyu NPP will comprise four VVER-1200 units with an installed capacity of 4800MWe and generate about 35TWh of electricity each a year. A construction licence application for Akkuyu 4 was submitted to Turkey's Nuclear Regulatory Authority in May, and is currently being reviewed, Rosatom said.
The shareholders of Akkuyu Nuclear are: Rusatom Overseas (74.915%), Atomstroyexport (2.267%), Inter RAO (0.820%), Rosenergoatom Concern (21.948%), Atomtechenergo (0.025%) and Atomenergoremont (0.025%). However, according to Turkish and Armenian press reports, Inter RAO withdrew from the project following a board meeting on 26 October as a result of the conflict over Nagorno-Karabakh.
Equipment tested for Akkuyu 2
Meanwhile, Russia’s Izhorskiye Zavody(part of the OMZ Group) said on 17 November that it had carried out tests on the hydraulic reservoirs of the emergency cooling system for Akkuyu 2.
Izhorskiye Zavody manufactured the tanks under a contract with AEM-Technologies (part of Rosatom’s engineering division Atomenergomash). The tests were carried out in two stages.
During the first stage, the water pressure in the hydroelectric tank was increased from 5.72 to 9.2MPa. The maximum value represents artificially created emergency conditions; the tanks will normally operate at a pressure of 5.9MPa. The acceptance committee carried out a visual inspection of the welded seams and joints at a pressure of 7.28MPa.
The second step was to control the tightness of the inter-gasket cavity. During the tests, no metal leaks or ruptures were found during the inspection, and after the completion of the check, no visible permanent deformations were detected. Shipment of products is scheduled for the end of November.
The ECCS hydraulic tanks are an integral part of the emergency cooling system of the reactor core and an essential element of the reactor safety system. Four independent vessels, each weighing 75t, contain 60,000 litres of boric acid and are connected by a pipeline to the reactor vessel.
Photo: Akkuyu 2 construction picture in September 2020 (Credit: Akkuyu Nuclear)
