The ceremony of delivering the first batch of nuclear fuel for the first power unit of the Akkuyu NPP will be held on Thursday at the site of the plant, which Rosatom is building in Turkey.
Head of the IAEA Rafael Grossi and Rosatom CEO Alexei Likhachev are planning to take part in the ceremony. The Kremlin press service reported that Russian President Vladimir Putin plans to participate in the ceremony via videoconference.
Deputy chairman of the ruling Justice and Development Party Erkan Kandemir reported earlier that President Recep Tayyip Erdogan would participate in the ceremony by video link. Later, this information was confirmed by the head of the Turkish energy ministry. On April 26, Erdogan announced that he had decided to cancel all public events on that day on the advice of doctors.
After the fuel arrives at the plant, Akkuyu will receive the status of a nuclear power facility. In February, during a visit to the construction site, Rosatom CEO Alexei Likhachev said the general construction and installation work on the first unit would be completed in the third quarter of 2023 and the plant would be launched.
Russia and Akkuyu NPP
Putin said earlier that Rosatom uses the most advanced and reliable technologies in the construction of the Akkuyu nuclear power plant, while meeting the highest safety standards and the strictest environmental requirements. The Russian president is convinced that successful implementation of this project will not only bring bilateral cooperation in the energy sector to a qualitatively new level but "will also generally promote further advancement of the multifaceted Russian-Turkish partnership and help strengthen friendship and mutual understanding between the peoples" of the two countries.
The Russian head of state also drew attention to the fact that the Russian side was actively attracting Turkish business to the construction of the power plant and that a significant part of the orders for the Akkuyu project were placed inside Turkey which confirms the commercial profit of the project for all its participants.
According to Putin, the implementation of the Akkuyu project will give a serious impetus to Turkey's nuclear industry development. Turkey will have its own personnel for the nuclear industry because they are trained both at the site of the plant and at Russian universities.
The Russian president regularly discusses the construction of the plant with his Turkish counterpart and has promised all kinds of support for the project.
Akkuyu and Turkey's economy
The Turkish authorities consider the Akkuyu NPP to be one of the most important projects in the modern history of the republic and call it a "century dream." The construction of the Akkuyu NPP is part of the strategy for the development of the country's energy sector, which aims to increase the share of clean energy sources, reduce dependence on imported energy resources and increase energy security. Turkish authorities also consider the development of nuclear power an important step towards diversifying and strengthening the country's energy infrastructure.
In the intergovernmental agreement between Russia and Turkey, the cost per kilowatt (kilowatt-hour) of electricity is 12.5 cents. 70% of the output of the first and second units will be sold at the price fixed in the agreement, and 30% will be sold on the market. From the third and fourth block 30% of volume will be sold at a price of 12.5 cents, and 70% - on the open market. Thus, the guaranteed price of electricity is fixed for only 50% of the Akkuyu-generated volume. This price will only apply for 15 years. After reaching the payback period - 15 years after the start of commercial operation of each unit - the Turkish side will receive 20% of the net profit.
Erdogan does not rule out that Ankara and Moscow's cooperation in the nuclear energy sector could be expanded in the near future. In November 2022, the Turkish leader said that the second and third nuclear power plants in Sinop and Thrace could also be built jointly with Russia.
Akkuyu NPP
Akkuyu is the first nuclear power plant under construction in Turkey. The project is realized on the basis of the intergovernmental agreement on cooperation signed between Russia and Turkey on May 12, 2010. The power plant will consist of four power units with Russian designed VVER reactors of generation 3+. The capacity of each power unit will be 1.2 thousand MW. Once commissioned and operating at full capacity, the NPP will generate about 35 billion kWh per year. According to forecasts, the power plant will cover up to 10% of Turkey's electricity needs.
The Russian side fully finances the project. The Akkuyu NPP is the first project in the global nuclear industry implemented according to the Build-Own-Operate model. The plant will be operated by a large number of local specialists who have received and continue to receive practical and theoretical training in Russia.
In connection with February's devastating earthquakes in southern Turkey, the country's energy ministry has assured that the Akkuyu nuclear power plant will be capable of withstanding a magnitude 9 earthquake. At the same time, the ministry stressed that there are no fault lines in the vicinity of the plant, so its seismic safety is not threatened.
GSV "Russia - Islamic world"
Photo: akkuyu.com
Based on materials from TASS