Turkey to power first unit of Akkuyu nuclear plant

Akkuyu Nuclear

Turkey’s nuclear regulator has approved a commissioning permit for the country’s first nuclear power-generating unit.

The Akkuyu nuclear power plant is being constructed by Russia’s state-owned Rosatom in Mersin province on the southern Mediterranean coastline.

The bid documentation for the permit was sent to the Council of the Nuclear Regulatory Agency (NDK) in two stages.

• Nuclear ‘arrives too late’ to halt climate emergency
• Licence granted for fourth reactor at Abu Dhabi’s Barakah
• UAE among nations vowing to treble global nuclear capacity

The first set of documents was submitted on March 17, 2023, while the second set was submitted on August 24, 2023. 

The permit enables the startup and adjustment works to be commenced for the final stage of the NPP construction.

“Licensing is an exceptionally important stage that penetrates all stages of the life cycle of a nuclear power plant: sitting, design, construction, operation and decommissioning,” said Anastasia Zoteeva, CEO, Akkuyu Nuclear, the Rosatom-owned company implementing the project.

“In terms of the Akkuyu NPP – the first nuclear power plant in Turkey – we are completing all licensing stages for the first time,” she added. 

The next stage of the Akkuyu nuclear licensing is to obtain an operating license for power unit no.1, which will allow the loading of nuclear fuel into the reactor and the start of pre-commissioning control operations.