Likhachev spoke about preparations for the launch of the Akkuyu nuclear power plant in Turkey

MOSCOW, July 18Full-scale commissioning work is actively underway at power unit No. 1 of the Akkuyu nuclear power plant in Turkey, its reactor is being prepared for loading nuclear fuel simulators as part of preparations for the launch, said Rosatom CEO Alexey Likhachev.
“Regarding the Akkuyu NPP and its current status: the main efforts are focused on preparing for the launch of the first power unit — we are actively carrying out full-scale commissioning work, at the current stage we are preparing the reactor installation for loading fuel simulators. We understand how important it is for the Turkish side to launch the “first nuclear electricity» into the Turkish energy system as soon as possible,» Likhachev said following a working meeting in Istanbul with Turkish Energy Minister Alparslan Bayraktar. Likhachev's words are quoted by the press service of Rosatom.

Rosatom previously manufactured and shipped to Turkey nuclear fuel simulators — mock-ups of fuel cassettes and equipment for testing the so-called simulation zone — mock-ups of reactor control and protection absorber rods, nuclear fuel incoming inspection tools.

Before starting up a new power unit, fuel assemblies (simulators) are first loaded into the reactor core and then unloaded to test the operation of the reactor plant's key systems. When forming the reactor's imitation zone, all operations are performed as if the work were being carried out with nuclear fuel, which, as part of preparations for starting up the reactor plant, allows for the procedures for handling nuclear fuel to be worked out on the simulators under conditions as close as possible to operation.

Nuclear fuel for the first unit of the Akkuyu NPP was delivered to the nuclear plant site at the end of April 2023. That solemn ceremony was attended by Russian President Vladimir Putin and Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan via video link.
The construction of Turkey's first nuclear power plant, Akkuyu, became the largest joint Russian-Turkish project. It is planned that after the commissioning of all four power units with advanced Russian VVER-1200 reactors with a capacity of 1200 MW, each station will generate about 35 billion kWh per year and cover up to 10% of Turkey's electricity needs.