February 4, 2023, Silifke, Türkiye - AKKUYU NUCLEAR, which is building the first nuclear power plant in Türkiye, has signed a contract with the Turkish construction company Özaltın İnşaat for the construction of a residential campus for Akkuyu NPP operating personnel.
The residential campus will be formed of single-section blocks with comfortable flats of different formats. The campus is designed to house more than 6,000 people. A kindergarten and school, shops, restaurants and cafes, a medical center and pharmacy, sports and cultural complexes, and a hotel will be build in the campus area. The residential area will be equipped with playgrounds and sports fields as well as a common recreation area for all residents. The construction will be carried out in three phases, with the third phase scheduled for completion by the end of 2025.
“The beginning of the residential campus construction is a new and important stage in the project development. Accommodation of employees and their families in one settlement, creating comfortable conditions for them is an important component of the efficient operation of the NPP, which is a large industrial facility. People are our greatest value, and we will do our best to make the new town as comfortable as possible for the NPP personnel here, in the hospitable land of Türkiye. Everything necessary is provided on the territory of the campus, conditions are created for playing sports and providing children's leisure. These will be not only residential buildings and social infrastructure facilities, but also a park area unique in its architecture, where residents and guests of the campus can spend their leisure time. The first nuclear power plant in Türkiye will employ the best specialists - both Russian and Turkish nuclear engineers, who will have all the conditions for a full, happy life and productive work”, noted AKKUYU NUCLEAR CEO Anastasia Zoteeva.
“The siting of the residential area for nuclear engineers was made very well. Construction site is not far from the sea coast and within high transport accessibility from the nearest settlements - Silifke and Taşucu. The location is between Antalya and Çukurova international airports, so as the destination it is easy reachable for its future residents. Besides, Özaltın company continues to construct the main part of the Mersin-Antalya costal motorway and, upon completion of this motorway, it will be much easier and more comfortable to get to the housing site from any of the airports. The construction will be carried out in three phases. Upon completion of the first stage, we plan to put into operation more than 800 apartments and, most importantly, a school for 1,000 students and a kindergarten for 450 children. Upon completion of the construction of all three stages, we will receive a total of more than 2,700 apartments. The residential area will be more than 700 thousand square meters. Housing and all related social infrastructure facilities are designed to satisfy all the needs of the residents in a comfortable and well-maintained urban environment. The campus will include, among other, good recreational area, shopping and cultural infrastructure, and a hotel. We have extensive experience in designing and building residential complexes. The first nuclear engineers town in Turkey will meet the most modern standards. We will do our best to ensure that the personnel of the first nuclear power plant in Turkey live in modern houses in comfortable conditions”, noted ÖZALTIN İNŞAAT CEO Muzaffer Özdemir.
The construction site of the campus is already fully prepared for the start of construction works; the area has been zoned, and all the necessary permits have been obtained for the land use of the for housing construction.
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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 NPP power unit will be 1200 MW. Currently, the project is entirely financed by the Russian side. At the same time, Rosatom State Corporation is entitled to sell its stake in the project of up to 49% to other investors. Akkuyu NPP is the first project in the global nuclear industry being implemented in accordance with the Build-Own-Operate model.
According to the terms and conditions of the Inter-Governmental Agreement between the Russian Federation and the Republic of Türkiye, the NPP's first power unit is supposed to be commissioned within 7 years after obtaining all unit-construction permits and licenses. Given that the construction license for Unit 1 was obtained in 2018, the deadline is 2025. At the same time, the project stakeholders are making their best efforts to achieve the milestone "Delivery of fresh nuclear fuel to the Akkuyu NPP Site" in 2023, when the 100th anniversary of the Republic of Türkiye is celebrated.