March 2, 2023, Moscow, Russia. – A working meeting on training specialists for Akkuyu NPP took place at the National Research University Moscow Energy Institute.
The Target Training Program for Akkuyu NPP Personnel among citizens of the Republic of Turkey is being implemented on the basis of the Intergovernmental Agreement between the Government of the Russian Federation and the Government of the Republic of Turkey on Cooperation in Relation to the Construction and Operation of a Nuclear Power Plant at the Akkuyu Site in the Republic of Turkey. The training takes place at the National Research Nuclear University MEPhI (NRNU MEPhI) and Peter the Great St. Petersburg Polytechnic University (SPbPU). This year one of the leading Russian technical universities NRU MEI, which provides education in the field of energy, electrical engineering, radio engineering, electronics, information technologies, and management, has joined the program.
In 2023, 40 students are expected to be recruited under the HR Training Program for the nuclear power plant under construction in Turkey. They will get Masters degrees with the following three energy-related majors: water-and-fuel technology in energy industry, automated facility control systems of thermal and nuclear power plants, electric-drive and automatics.
“Training of highly qualified Turkish specialists in the field of nuclear energy is one of high-priority tasks of the Akkuyu NPP Project. Almost 300 Turkish graduates of our program have already been employed for construction of the first NPP in T?rkiye, engaging in developing a new science-intensive industry in the Republic in the most direct way. Experienced Russian nuclear specialists who are engaged in Akkuyu NPP construction are eagerly sharing practical skills with them. We are all happy and proud to see young Turkish specialists becoming professional nuclear engineering specialists and even winning at professional contests, such as “Rosatom Person of the Year”. This year, Turkish citizens have got even more opportunities to receive high-quality education in the field of training of nuclear-energy specialists”, AKKUYU NUCLEAR JSC Chief Executive Officer Anastasia Zoteeva noted.
According to NRU MEI President Nikolay Rogalev, “Joint training of human resources by the NRU MEI and Akkuyu NPP for Turkish energy industry opens up new opportunities for cooperation and experience-and-technology exchange between the two countries. For our part, we are ready to provide the whole basis required for successful training of future specialists and extend academic partnership with friendly countries”.
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Akkuyu NPP is the first nuclear power plant being built 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. Currently, the project is entirely financed by the Russian side. Akkuyu NPP is the first project in the global nuclear industry being implemented according to the Build-Own-Operate model.
According to 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 and licenses. 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 achieve the milestone “Delivery of fresh nuclear fuel to the Akkuyu NPP Site” in 2023, a jubilee year for the Republic of Turkey.
The National Research University Moscow Energy Institute is one of the leading Russian higher-education institutions in the field of energy, electrical engineering, radio engineering, electronics, and information technologies The NRU MEI has its own material and technical base. It comprises 12 institutes, and has more than 100 scientific and research laboratories, a specialized experimental plant, a unique training Combined Heat-and-Power Plant (CHPP), the country’s largest scientific-and-technical library, and a renewable-energy testing ground. Over 20 000 undergraduates and postgraduates study in 25 training fields at the university. High quality of training and scientific activities is ensured by more than 1600 teachers and scientists, including 184 Doctors of Sciences and 597 Candidates of Sciences.