September 13, 2023, Büyükeceli, Mersin Province, Türkiye. – Concrete pouring of the turbine plant foundation has been completed in the turbine hall building of Akkuyu NPP Power Unit No. 2. The milestone of the Unit No. 2 will enable builders of the first nuclear power plant in Türkiye to start installing elements of the turbine set, which is engaged in converting mechanical energy into electrical one.
During installation of the turbine plant foundation, a modern vibration insulation system, of which spring units constitute an important part. They are designed to split foundation slabs of the turbine hall building and the turbine plant, raise the seismic resistance level, and minimize vibrations during operation of the turbine plant.
Anastasia Zoteeva, Chief Executive Officer of Akkuyu Nuclear JSC: "The foundation beneath the turbine plant is a complex civil structure, which is capable of bearing and evenly distributing the loads that occur during the turbine operation. I would like to thank Akkuyu NPP builders for their smooth work during installation of the foundation slab. As all process solutions used during construction of the first nuclear power plant in Türkiye, the concrete pouring process of the turbine plant foundation of the Power Unit No. 2 is performed in accordance with the IAEA safety standards, legislative provisions of the Republic of Türkiye and current requirements of the global nuclear community".
It takes 30 days for the foundation concrete to reach its design strength. A Special Committee will then check the concrete pouring quality in the presence of representatives of the Nuclear Regulatory Authority (NDK) and an independent inspection organization. Upon completion of all verifying inspections, installation of the foundation slab of the turbine plant of the Unit No. 2 will be deemed completed.
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The turbine plant foundation is both a civil structure of a power unit and an important part of the turbine plant. A concrete slab acts as a link between the turbine and the generator. A single high-technology turbine plant system is designed to convert high-pressure steam energy intro mechanical one, which makes turbine and generator rotors rotate and generate electrical current.
Akkuyu NPP is the first-ever nuclear power plant in the Republic of Turkey. The Akkuyu NPP project includes four power units equipped with Generation 3+ VVER reactors of Russian design. The capacity of each NPP power unit will be 1200 MW.
Akkuyu NPP is the first project in the global nuclear industry being implemented according to the Build-Own-Operate model.
According to the terms and conditions of the Inter-Governmental Agreement between the Russian Federation and the Republic of Turkey, the NPP's first power unit is supposed to be commissioned within 7 years after obtaining all construction authorizations. With regard to the construction license for Unit 1 was obtained in 2018, the deadline is 2025. At the same time, the project stakeholders are making their best efforts to ensure readiness for the commissioning works at Unit 1 in 2023, a jubilee year for the Republic of Turkey.
Russia continues a constructive dialogue with its foreign colleagues, developing cooperation with countries from all over the world and actively forming a multipolar system of international relations. The implementation of major foreign energy projects also continues. Rosatom and its enterprises are actively involved in this activity.