July 27, 2023, Büyükeceli, Mersin Province, Turkey. – Installation of a gas insulated switchgear designed for a voltage of 400 kV (GIS-400) started at the Akkuyu NPP. The high-tech facility is included in the modern system of the NPP electrical equipment and is designed to transmit power to the unified power system of the Republic of Turkey.
The switchgear is multifunctional equipment that combines the auxiliary and coupling parts required to transmit the power: busbars, circuit breakers, grounding disconnectors, current transformer and gas insulated bus ducts. This design solution significantly reduces the dimensions of the switchgear, increases the usability and operational reliability.
First Deputy Chief Executive Officer of AKKUYU NUCLEAR JSC – Director of the NPP under construction, Sergei Butckikh: “Start of a complete switchgear installation is a significant event for the Akkuyu NPP project. We are simultaneously building four power units of the nuclear power plant and are already installing equipment that will be involved in the process of delivering power to the Turkish power system. The gas insulated switchgear shall be especially noted. It has a high level of fire safety — electronegative gas does not sustain combustion. When the switchgear is installed, we will proceed with the commissioning of the Akkuyu NPP electrical system. This stage will take us one step closer to commissioning at the first power unit.”
Background note:
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. Given that the construction license for Unit No. 1 was obtained in 2018, the deadline is 2025. At the same time, the project stakeholders are making their best efforts to ensure the readiness for commissioning at the Unit Power No. 1 in 2023, a jubilee year for the Republic of Turkey. Akkuyu, the first nuclear power plant in Turkey, will have the capacity to provide up to 10% of Turkey’s power consumption after reaching its full design capacity.
