Unit 1 of the Akkuyu NPP in Turkey will be launched on time, by the 100th anniversary of the republic, Russian President Vladimir Putin said at a recent meeting with Turkish leader Recep Tayyip Erdogan. “Our colleagues from governments and companies that are engaged in practical work are implementing all the plans. This also applies to the investment process and the construction of the Akkuyu nuclear power plant. Work is proceeding according to plan,” he said. He noted that now about 20,000 people are working at the site, adding that it is planned to deliver nuclear fuel to the plant in May 2023 in preparation for the start-up of unit 1.
Putin’s statement comes after resolution of a dispute involving construction companies working at the site, which had sparked reports of delays.
Akkuyu is the first nuclear power plant under construction in Turkey and will eventually host four units of Russian-designed VVER-1200 reactors. The pouring of the first concrete for unit 1 took place in April 2018, for unit 2 in June 2020, for unit 3 in March 2021, and for unit 4 in July 2022.
Erdogan and Putin also discussed the possibility of Russia’s building a second NPP in Turkey. “As you noted, the first unit of the Akkuyu NPP will be launched in the first half of next year. We also discussed with you the construction of a second NPP in Sinop on the Black Sea coast, Erdogan said on the sidelines of the Summit of the Conference on Interaction and Confidence Building Measures in Asia in Astana. This would have a serious impact on Turkey’s energy situation. Akkuyu NPP “will cover 10% of our electricity needs, and with the NPP in Sinop we will be able to cover another 10% – in total there will be 20%,” he noted.
Turkey had previously agreed in 2013 that a Japanese consortium would build an NPP in Sinop. However, in 2020 Energy Minister Fatih Dönmez said the time schedule and pricing of the project fell short of the ministry’s expectations after the results of feasibility studies, carried out by Mitsubishi Heavy Industries (MHI). “We agreed with the Japanese side to not continue our cooperation regarding this matter,” Dönmez said, adding that Turkey may hold talks with other suppliers for construction of the plant.
