Russia's State Atomic Energy Corporation, Rosatom, announced that preparations for the commissioning of the first unit at Turkey's first nuclear power plant, the Akkuyu Nuclear Power Plant (NPP), are nearing completion. Rosatom Director General Aleksey Likhachev stated that the start of commissioning work at the plant is only a few months away.
Likhachev evaluated the latest status of the project after his meeting with Minister of Energy and Natural Resources Alparslan Bayraktar. Likhachev stated that construction and commissioning preparations are progressing as planned, and coordinated efforts are being carried out with representatives of the customer side to accelerate production processes.
Why was Akkuyu NPP delayed?
Likhachev also claimed that the Akkuyu NPP project faced pressures stemming from various external factors. In his statement, he argued that the attitudes of foreign financial institutions, obstructions from major European equipment suppliers, and direct interventions from some Western public institutions affected both the cost and the timeline of the project.
The most concrete and critical reason for the postponement is the failure of Germany-based company Siemens Energy to deliver gas-insulated switchgear (GIS) equipment produced for the plant's electrical transmission infrastructure. Rosatom was forced to shift orders for these undelivered key components to Chinese manufacturers.
Russia's exclusion from the international payment system SWIFT and sanctions against Russian financial institutions also complicated the project's cash flow and money transfers with global suppliers.
Another factor contributing to the delays was the COVID-19 pandemic and its impact on supply chains. Additionally, problems were experienced with subcontractors on the project.
The initial target was 2023
As is known, the then Minister of Energy and Natural Resources, Fatih Dönmez, had set 2023 as the target date for the commissioning of Akkuyu NPP's 1st Reactor unit. However, this target was not met, and the current Minister, Alparslan Bayraktar, stated in the same year that the target was October 29, 2024. This target was later shifted to 2025. However, work on the reactor could not be completed last year either. The current target is now the autumn of 2026.
The first official agreements for the plant, which is being built in the Gülnar district of Mersin, were signed in May 2010. With an investment size of approximately 20 billion dollars, Akkuyu NPP is being carried out by Akkuyu Nuclear Inc., which operates under the laws of the Republic of Turkey, despite being majority Russian-owned. The project is the first nuclear power plant implemented between Turkey and Russia under the "Build-Own-Operate" model.
Within the framework of the intergovernmental agreement signed between Turkey and Russia in May 2010, Turkey commits to purchasing 70% of the electricity produced in the first and second units, and 30% of the electricity produced in the third and fourth units, from Akkuyu Nuclear Inc. for 15 years.
According to the said agreement, the company will have the right to sell the remaining 30% of electricity from the first two units, and 70% from the third and fourth units, in the free electricity market through its own channels or energy retail suppliers. With the commissioning of the plant, Turkey will pay 12.35 cents per kilowatt-hour for 15 years under this purchase guarantee.
Akkuyu NPP consists of four power units with Russian-designed 3+ generation VVER-1200 reactors. Each unit is planned to have an installed capacity of 1,200 megawatts, bringing the plant's total installed capacity to 4,800 megawatts.
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