At Akkuyu NPP Unit 1, the dome of the internal containment (IC) was installed in the design position, and thus the sealing loop was completed.
“2022 was not an easy year, but very successful and productive! As planned, on the eve of the New Year, we completed the installation of the internal containment dome; this is an important stage in the construction of the first power unit. I am grateful to the whole team – to each builder, each manager – for the maximum efforts, for meeting deadlines, for high quality, for devotion to our native construction site and native nuclear power plant. We are all going through an important milestone together. Every year we become closer and feel and understand each other better. Our team is the strongest and most productive! And we are getting closer to the key event of next year – the delivery of fresh nuclear fuel to the Akkuyu NPP site. We still have to install the outer containment and perform other acceptance work before completing the construction of the first unit for the centenary of the Republic of Turkey,” – noted Anastasia Zoteeva, AKKUYU NUCLEAR JSC Chief Executive Officer.
The IC dome has a spherical shape and consists of 16 mounting sections weighing 215 tons. The structure of the dome also includes the metal structure of the platforms for servicing the sprinkler system weighing 46 tons. Especially for lifting the dome to a height of +61.700, a traverse weighing 75 tons was developed and manufactured. The total weight of the structure lifted by the Liebherr LR 13000 crane was 340 tons. The enlarged assembly of the dome was performed at the Akkuyu NPP site and took 3.5 months.
After concreting the dome part of the IC, the final stage of construction and installation works of the outer containment will begin.
Construction and installation works at the Akkuyu NPP site are ongoing at all sections of the main and auxiliary facilities construction: four power units, on-shore hydraulic engineering structures, power distribution systems, administrative buildings, training center, physical protection facilities of the future NPP. All construction stages at the Akkuyu NPP site are thoroughly monitored by independent inspection organizations and the Nuclear Regulatory Authority of Turkey (NDK), the national regulatory authority.
For reference:
Akkuyu NPP is the first nuclear power plant being built in the Republic of Turkey. 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. Akkuyu NPP is the first project in the global nuclear industry being implemented according to the Build-Own-Operate model.
According to terms and conditions of the Inter-Governmental Agreement between the Russian Federation and the Republic of Turkey, the NPP's first power unit is supposed to be commissioned within 7 years after obtaining all construction authorizations and licenses. Given that the construction license for power unit No. 1 was obtained in 2018, the deadline is 2025. At the same time, the project stakeholders are making their best efforts to complete the construction of first power unit and ensure its readiness for commissioning test in 2023, a jubilee year for the Republic of Turkey.