Nuclear fuel for Akkuyu nuclear power plant on track for May 2023 delivery

By Firdevs Yuksel

ISTANBUL (AA) - Plans are on track to have nuclear fuel delivered to Türkiye’s first nuclear plant at the end of May next year, according to Anastasia Zoteeva, the general director of the project company, Akkuyu Nuclear.

At the international nuclear energy Atomexpo 2022 event in Russia's coastal city of Sochi, Zoteeva confirmed that works for the construction of the first reactor of the Akkuyu NPP in Mersin, southern Türkiye is on schedule.

Works are simultaneously ongoing for the completion of the other three reactors, and by 2023 fresh fuel will be delivered for the first power unit.

The country's first participation in nuclear energy necessitates critical processes to ensure strict controls are followed to progress from the developmental stage to the point where nuclear power can operate using both active and passive safety measures.

"The cost of security measures in the plant is equivalent to 40% of the overall project cost. It is possible to deduce from this how much importance is given to security systems," Zoteeva said.

"Over the last four years, both the company and our regulatory bodies have worked tirelessly on this issue. During the manufacturing process, nuclear fuel goes through very important processes and is subject to strict controls," Zoteeva said, adding that "the facility where the nuclear fuel will be stored has been prepared, and fuel production for the plant has begun in Russia."

Zoteeva disclosed that the plant is forecast to contribute $50 billion to the regional economy when it is operational over its 80-year lifespan.