Akkuyu nuclear power plant project, Turkey – update

25th February 2022 By: Sheila Barradas - Creamer Media Research Coordinator & Senior Deputy Editor

Akkuyu nuclear power plant project, Turkey – update

Name of the Project
Akkuyu nuclear power plant (NPP) project.

Location
Mersin, Turkey.

Project Owner/s
Akkuyu Nuclear, comprising Inter RAO UES JSC, Rosenergoatom JSC, Atomtechenergo JSC, Atomenergoremont JSC and Rusatom Energy International JSC.

Project Description
The Akkuyu NPP will be based on an NPP-2006 serial project. The 4 800 MWe plant will comprise four VVER1200 reactors and is expected to meet about 10% of Turkey's electricity needs.

The power unit includes a reactor plant and a turbine plant.

The primary circuit is radioactive and comprises a reactor, four reactor coolant loops, four reactor coolant pumps, heating parts of four steam generators and one steam pressuriser.

The secondary circuit is not radioactive. It comprises steam generators; fresh steam conduits; one turbine unit comprising a turbine plant and a turbine generator; condensate pumps; a system of low-pressure regenerative heaters; a turbine condensate system; deaerators; a feedwater system, including feedwater pumps; and a system of high-pressure regenerative heaters.

The turbine is equipped with a condensing unit, regenerative installation for heating the feedwater and separators – steam superheaters – with unregulated steam extraction for the NPP’s auxiliary needs and for heating chemically treated water additives in the circuit.

Capital Expenditure
The project is estimated at $20-billion.

Planned Start/End Date
Construction of the first unit began in 2018, with startup planned for 2023. Construction of Unit 2 started in April 2020.

Latest Developments
Nukem Technologies and NIKIMT-Atomstroy JSC are finalising the supply of the equipment for compacting solid radioactive waste at the Akkuyu NPP.

Together with Titan2 Icas Insaat and Akkuyu Nuclear, the companies have successfully completed the factory acceptance test of the high-force compactor for radioactive waste.

The new waste-treatment centre will be used for processing all low- and intermediate-level solid waste, such as filters and metal waste, from the new NPP.

Nukem will supply a 2 000 t high-force compactor, including the control system. The compactor will be fitted with an automatic drum feeding system and an integrated pellet transfer device. The high-force compactor is designed as a throughfeed facility so that material feeding and discharging of compacted pellets can be performed in one step. It allows for a throughput capacity of six drums an hour.

The availability of the compactor in the solid radioactive waste management cycle will help reduce the volume of waste requiring further storage. The compacting process allows for a reduction of up to seven-fold of waste volume, depending on the waste morphology.

Key Contracts, Suppliers and Consultants
Rosatom (construction of VVER-1200 reactors under a build, own, operate model).GE Steam Power and AEM Technology, a joint venture between AtomEnergoMash and General Electric, or GE (design and supply the equipment and systems for the whole conventional island); JSC Tyazhmash (core melt trap); and Nukem Technologies and NIKIMT-Atomstroy JSC (supply of the equipment for compacting SRW).

Contact Details for Project Information
Akkuyu NPP JSC, tel +90 312 442 60 00, fax +90 312 442 60 16 or email info@akkuyu.com.