Rosatom announces installation of key safety feature at Turkey nuclear plant

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The fourth layer of the internal protection shell (IPS), which is one of the main components of the safety system of nuclear power plants, has been installed in the reactor building of the second power unit of the Mersin Akkuyu Nuclear Power Plant (NPP).

The installation was announced today by Rosatom, the Russian construction company that owns 51% of the shares in Akkuyu NPP and thus controls the facility.

The plant, which is not yet completed, is scheduled to be opened on April 27 with a fuel loading ceremony.

Sergey Butckikh, Deputy General Director and Construction Director of Akkuyu NPP, commented on the ongoing work at the plant, saying, "The IPS is an important element of the reactor building, consisting of structures made in different ways. The fourth layer is the last cylindrical structure.

"Then, we will begin the assembly of the dome part, which is planned for installation this summer. We also plan to carry out welding operations for the third and fourth layers, reinforce and install embedded parts, including transportation and personnel lock elements."

"No fuel should be brought to Akkuyu"

Meanwhile, the Mersin Anti-Nuclear Platform (NKP) issued a statement on April 15, recalling the Chernobyl nuclear disaster that occurred 37 years ago.

In its statement, the Mersin NKP said, "April 26, 2023, marks the 37th anniversary of the Chernobyl Nuclear Disaster. Immediately after the 37th anniversary of the Chernobyl Nuclear Disaster, they announced that they would bring nuclear fuel rods to Akkuyu and hold an 'opening ceremony' during the election campaign period to turn it into a nuclear field."

"The Mersin Anti-Nuclear Platform and all anti-nuclear institutions, organizations, and activists are against the shipment of nuclear fuel to Akkuyu. Nuclear fuel should not be brought to Akkuyu."

"Despite the reactions of professional organizations, scientists, and the public, nuclear power plant projects are persistently being kept on the agenda, and the troubled construction process at Akkuyu is still ongoing. In Sinop, negotiations are being held with Russian companies despite the withdrawal of the Japanese contractor from the project in 2019 due to cost overruns and the pending case against the positive environmental impact assessment (EIA) report for Sinop NPP."

"Akkuyu NPP, the world's first 'build, own, operate' model, will cause both economic and social environmental disasters."