President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan said 90% of the construction of the first reactor of Akkuyu Nuclear Power Plant (NPP) has been completed and mechanical tests have been launched at the reactor, as he highlighted Türkiye's determination to put into action the second energy efficiency program.
Speaking to reporters following a cabinet meeting in the capital Ankara, Erdoğan said Türkiye aims to reduce energy consumption by 16% until 2030, which will contribute to the reduction of 100 million tons of emissions and create energy efficiency worth up to $20 million in the public and private sectors.
Referred to as the "biggest joint investment" with Russia, Akkuyu NPP is expected to be fully operational by 2028 and supply 10% of Türkiye’s electricity consumption. The Akkuyu project will contribute $1.5 billion (TL 29.15 billion) annually to decrease Türkiye's natural gas imports and will have a "positive impact" on national income.
Türkiye aims to put into operation more than 20,000 megawatts of nuclear energy capacity in the next 30 years.
The foundation of the first reactor was laid in April 2018, while the construction of the second, third and fourth units started in June 2020, March 2021 and June 2022, respectively.
The three remaining units are due to start operation by the end of 2026, at a rate of one per year, to ultimately have a total installed capacity of 4,800 megawatts (MW).
According to Rosatom, the site in Akkuyu is located in the fifth-degree earthquake zone, considered the safest region for earthquakes.
The plant design includes an external reinforced concrete wall and an internal protective shell made of "pre-stressed concrete," with metal cables stretched inside the concrete shell to give additional solidity to the structure, the company says.
And the modern reactor design includes an additional safety feature – a 144-ton steel cone called the "core catcher" that traps and cools any molten radioactive materials in an emergency, according to Rosatom.
The company emphasized that power units with VVER-1200 reactors comply with the post-Fukushima requirements of the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA).
According to government figures, if the power plant started operating today, it could single-handedly provide enough electricity for a city of about 15 million people, such as Istanbul.
The plant, which will have an estimated service life of 60 years with an extension of another 20 years, will produce carbon-free energy around the clock.
Akkuyu is the world’s first NPP project implemented through a build-own-operate model. Under the long-term contract, Rosatom has agreed to provide the power plant’s design, construction, maintenance, operation and decommissioning.
Meanwhile, Erdoğan said the daily crude oil output in the Gabar region has surpassed 43,380 barrels, breaking a record in Türkiye.
“We aim to reach a goal of 100,000 barrels per day by the end of 2024,” he said.
