Cold hydraulic tests under way at Turkey's Akkuyu 1

Alexei Likhachev, director general of Russia's state nuclear corporation, visited the site on Monday (see picture above) to review the progress of commissioning work. The visit came the week after the successful loading of dummy fuel assemblies into the reactor.

He said: "We are celebrating the completion of construction work. Cold hydraulic tests of the reactor began last night, and this work will be completed within a few weeks. Just a few weeks remain until the start-up operations begin, and based on the results of all the work completed, an inspection will be conducted and adjustments will be made for the final stage. Unit 1 has a staff of 1,930 people, more than 40% of whom are Turkish citizens. We are proud that these are graduates of our universities, who are now undergoing training and practical experience on Russian simulators and nuclear power plants."

The cold hydraulic tests confirm the "the tightness and strength of the reactor system components, perform circulation flushing of the primary and secondary circuits, establish water chemistry, and check the thermal-hydraulic, strength, vibration, and dynamic characteristics of the reactor system and primary circuit equipment for compliance with design values".

This will be followed by the hot tests to confirm that equipment and systems are ready for operating conditions, including checking the operation of the four main circulation pumps at temperatures of at least 260 degrees Celsius. Both cold and hot tests take place before the loading of nuclear fuel in the commissioning process.

Background

Akkuyu, in the southern Mersin province, is Turkey's first nuclear power plant. Rosatom is building four VVER-1200 reactors, under a so-called BOO (build-own-operate) model. According to the terms of the 2010 Intergovernmental Agreement between the Russian Federation and the Republic of Turkey, the aim was for the commissioning of the first power unit of the nuclear power plant to take place within seven years from receipt of all permits for the construction of the unit.

The licence for the construction of the first unit was issued in 2018, with construction work beginning that year. The first steam generators were shipped to the site - for unit 1 - in August 2020. Nuclear fuel was delivered to the site in April 2023. The aim is for unit 1 to begin supplying Turkey's energy system during 2026.

When the 4,800 MWe plant is completed, it is expected to meet about 10% of Turkey's electricity needs.

_{Work is taking place on all four units - first concrete for unit 4 (right) was poured in August 2023 (Image: Akkuyu Nuclear)}

Turkey has plans for a second nuclear power plant, at Sinop, and has also been in talks with China about plans for a third plant, in the Thrace region in the country's north-west.

The country is also developing plans for small modular reactors, with the aim of adding 5 GWe of capacity by 2050 - which would mean the equivalent of at least 16 individual SMRs.