NUCLEAR EDUCATION IN RUSSIA
2026-01-19 18:02

Head of Rosatom and Energy Minister of Türkiye held a working meeting at the Akkuyu NPP site

January 19, 2026. Büyükeceli, Mersin Province, Türkiye. - Director General of Rosatom State Corporation Alexey Likhachev and Minister of Energy and Natural Resources of Türkiye Alparslan Bayraktar visited the Akkuyu NPP construction site. During the working visit, the parties discussed the current status of the project and key tasks in preparation for the commissioning of Unit 1.

The heads of Rosatom and the Ministry of Energy and Natural Resources of Türkiye were accompanied at the site by Akkuyu Nuclear JSC Board Chairperson Anton Dedusenko, Akkuyu Nuclear JSC CEO Sergei Butckikh, and Akkuyu Nuclear JSC First Deputy CEO - Chief Technology Officer Andrei Zhukov. The delegations got acquainted with the progress of work at the main facilities of the first commissioning and start-up complex. They visited the main control room of Unit 1, where the plant operational shift employees are working within the regular schedule.

During the visit, special attention was paid to the construction of the electrical infrastructure of the plant. Head of the State Corporation and the Minister of Energy of Türkiye inspected the equipment of the gas insulated switchgear (GIS). Earlier, the GIS was supplied with voltage from an external power grid. Connection operation confirmed the readiness of the Akkuyu NPP power distribution system to transfer electricity from Unit 1 to the interconnected power system of the Republic of Türkiye.

One of the key areas of work is the preparation for the NPP Unit 1 operation. The commissioning and comprehensive tests of all systems is currently underway. In the near future, it is planned to implement the final control stage before the launch of the unit – a cold-hot run-in. Work continues on the facilities of all four Units and auxiliary facilities. In total, the project provides for the construction of 560 buildings and structures representing a large-scale infrastructure complex.
"The priority task of Rosatom State Corporation is to make a power start-up and generate the first electricity at Unit 1 of the Akkuyu NPP. According to the results of last year, the construction readiness of Unit 1 was about 99%, the volume of start-up and adjustment works was completed by 65%. We can say that we are now in the home stretch of the launch. A stable connection to the Turkish energy system has been provided. This year's task is to carry out all necessary procedures under the supervision of Turkish and Russian regulators to prepare for the generation of the first electricity. It is worth noting the participation of the leaders of two countries in the implementation of the project. It is a great honor and a huge responsibility for us. The construction of a nuclear power plant in a new country for us, using partially import-substituted equipment, is always associated with additional challenges. Nevertheless, I am confident that both Turkish contractors and all divisions of Rosatom State Corporation will do everything necessary to make this year to be the year of Türkiye's acquisition of nuclear energy,", CEO of Rosatom State Corporation Director General Alexey Likhachev, noted following the visit.
The parties stressed that safety remains the priority of the project at all stages, and the work is carried out in strict accordance with quality requirements and international standards.

Reference

Akkuyu NPP is the first nuclear power plant being built in the Republic of Türkiye. The Akkuyu NPP project includes four power units equipped with Generation 3+ VVER reactors of Russian design.

The capacity of each power unit will be 1200 MW. Akkuyu NPP construction is the first project in the global nuclear industry being implemented according to the Build-Own-Operate model.

Russia is developing cooperation with all interested countries. Implementation of major international projects is going on. Rosatom and its divisions take part in this work.