Türkiye has become a nuclear power – Vedomosti

On the afternoon of April 27, Russian President Vladimir Putin and Turkish leader Recep Tayyip Erdogan took part in the ceremony of delivering fresh nuclear fuel to the site of power unit No. 1 of the Akkuyu nuclear power plant under construction by Rosatom in Turkey. Usually this moment is called the physical start-up of the power unit, after which the final stage of the NPP commissioning begins. Broadcast of the ceremony was conducted on the YouTube channel of the ruling Turkish Justice and Development Party (AKP) and the Turkish presidential administration.

Erdogan had previously canceled public events for two days in a row after he became ill during a live broadcast on April 25. At the beginning of the broadcast, both presidents were sitting at their desks – they greeted each other with a wave of their hands. The communications department of the Erdogan administration reported that the heads of state discussed bilateral relations and regional processes, including a grain deal, before the ceremony. The President of Turkey expressed gratitude to his Russian counterpart for his contribution to the implementation of the Akkuyu nuclear power plant project.

Putin was the first to speak via video link. He noted the safety of the nuclear power plant and the fact that Russia, in fact, by training Turkish specialists, is creating the nuclear industry in Turkey. Putin congratulated Erdogan on the delivery of fresh nuclear fuel to the nuclear power plant site. “I would like to congratulate you on a new significant stage in the implementation of one of the largest joint projects in the history of Russian-Turkish relations. This is a flagship project. It brings both mutual economic benefits and, of course, helps to strengthen the multifaceted partnership between our two states,” Putin said (quote according to the press service of the Kremlin).

According to him, Russia will continue to reliably provide Turkey with energy resources, including gas. “Once Akkuyu operates at full capacity, of course, we will probably supply less natural gas to Turkey. This is an expensive product today and will only rise in price, while Turkey will enjoy the advantage of a power that has its own nuclear energy, and nuclear energy, as you know, is one of the cheapest,” Putin stressed.

Erdogan spoke later. According to him, “today Turkey has written its name” in the history of nuclear energy. Akkuyu becomes a member of the family of nuclear power plants, six years have passed and we were able to enter the world league,” the Turkish leader said. Erdogan recalled that last year in the EU, where a quarter of generation – nuclear – recognized nuclear green as “green”, and “we with our nuclear power plant have become part of this process.”

“I would like to congratulate all Russian personnel for their contribution and thank Mr. Putin. Akkuyu is the largest investment project of Rosatom. Until 2028, we plan to fully commission the nuclear power plant and provide it with 10% of Turkey’s energy consumption. Akkuyu will bring in $1.5 billion annually. And the fact that the February 6 earthquake did not damage Akkuyu additionally showed that we were right,” Erdogan concluded.

Before the talks between the leaders of the two countries, IAEA Director General Rafael Grossi addressed the in-person ceremony participants. He noted the safety and high standards of construction, according to him, the station “will continue to produce clean energy in 100 years.”

The head of Rosatom, Alexei Likhachev, noted that “neither a pandemic nor sanctions” prevented the construction of the “largest” nuclear power plant. He noted that at the moment the first block of the nuclear power plant is “in a high degree of readiness”, the reactor vessel is installed on the second, the melt localization device is installed on the third, and the manufacture of the necessary equipment continues on the third.

Turkey has already formed its own “nuclear cluster”, in cooperation with which the Russian side can participate in other projects. The head of the Russian nuclear monopoly recalled that “RosatomThey are also building a “nuclear town” in the satellite city of the Silifke nuclear power plant, where housing and social facilities are being built with the participation of the Russian monopoly.

In addition to Grossi and Likhachev, Turkish Minister of Energy and Natural Resources Fatih Donmez took part in the ceremony. At the end of the ceremony, Likhachev asked Putin for permission to hand over the certificate of delivery of fresh nuclear fuel to Turkish Minister Donmez.

“I want to wish you the very best and allow the transfer,” Putin said. After that, Donmez raised a flag with the symbol of “peaceful atom” over the Akkuyu nuclear power plant, emphasizing that Turkey “has become a country that uses nuclear energy with a zero carbon footprint.” “Türkiye has entered its century into a new period,” Donmez emphasized.

The four-unit Akkuyu NPP has been under construction since 2018 in the province of Mersin. The cost of the project is estimated at $22 billion, it is 100% financed by the Russian side.

The power units are equipped with Russian VVER-1200 generation III+ reactors with a capacity of 1,200 MW each and a total capacity of 4,800 MW, respectively. The NPP construction and operation project is implemented according to the BOO scheme (Build-Own-Operate, which provides for obligations for the construction, ownership, operation of the facility, when the builder and at the same time the owner is the Russian side).

Intergovernmental Russian-Turkish agreements, signed in 2010 and 2017, allow foreign investors to acquire from Rosatom a share in the company’s equity capital in the amount of up to 49% (51% remains for Russian investors). In the same year, the Turkish authorities issued a license to generate electricity for the Akkuyu nuclear power plant for a period of 49 years.

In 2010, the Russian side established the project company JSC Akkuyu Nuclear (Akkuyu Nükleer Anonim Şirketi), which, under a long-term contract, assumed obligations for the design, construction, maintenance, operation and decommissioning of the plant. The shareholders of Akkuyu Nuclear are companies authorized by the Russian government. According to information on the Akkuyu Nuclear website, 74.915% of the company’s shares are owned by Rusatom Energo International JSC, 21.948% by Rosenergoatom, 2.267% by Atomstroyexport CJSC, 0.82% by JSC “Inter RAO” and 0.025% each – JSC Atomtechenergo and JSC Atomenergoremont.

Earlier, the Minister of Energy and Natural Resources of Turkey, Fatih Donmez, said that the 35 billion kWh that the station will generate when fully launched will cover 10% of Turkey’s electricity needs, which is equivalent to the energy consumption of all of Istanbul, Turkey’s largest city by population (15.4 million people).

Earlier, a representative of Rosatom confirmed to Vedomosti that from the moment fuel was delivered, Akkuyu NPP becomes a nuclear facility, and Turkey [официально] will become a country with nuclear power,” the Russian company stressed.