April 17, 2023, Büyükeceli, Mersin Province, Türkiye. – The fourth tier of the inner containment, which relates to basic components of the nuclear power plant’s safety system, was installed in the reactor building of the second power unit of Akkuyu NPP.
The inner containment consists of a steel lining and is made of a special concrete mix. They ensure the leak-tightness of the reactor compartment. The internal radius of the inner containment module is 22 meters, height – 8 meters, weight – more than 144 tons. The tier was being assembled near the construction area of Unit 2 for three months. One of the world’s most powerful Liebherr LR-13000 crawler crane, Liebherr LTM 1300 truck crane, and two hydraulic devices were used in the installation. A special lifting beam was developed to install the tier. It protects the prefabricated structure from deformation during movement by the crane.
Sergei Butсkikh, First Deputy Chief Executive Officer, Director of Akkuyu NPP under Construction, commented on the completion of the work: “An important component of the reactor building is the inner containment which consists of structures of various shapes. The fourth tier is the last of the cylindrical ones, then the dome part will be installed. This is planned for this summer. We are backed by our many years of experience in construction, which allows us to save time and make the most of the available resources. Next things planned are welding of the third and fourth tiers, reinforcement operations, and installation of embedded parts, including components of the equipment lock and personnel lock.
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Akkuyu NPP is the first-ever nuclear power plant in the Republic of Türkiye. 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. Russian state corporation Rosatom owns 100% of the shares in the project and may sell up to 49% to one investor or several companies according to the terms and conditions of the Inter-Governmental Agreement.
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 Türkiye, 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 1 was obtained in 2018, the deadline is 2025. At the same time, the project stakeholders are making their best efforts to complete the milestone – receipt of fresh nuclear fuel at the Akkuyu NPP site in 2023, a jubilee year for the Republic of Türkiye.
The reactor buildings of Akkuyu NPP power units are equipped with a double containment. The outer containment is formed from reinforced concrete and is designed to withstand extreme external impacts – earthquakes of up to magnitude 9, tsunamis, hurricanes, and their combinations.
