Unit 1 of Turkey's Akkuyu Nuclear Power Plant is planned to start criticality before the end of the year

Recently, Alexey Likhachev, Director General of Rosatom, stated that the first reactor of the Akkuyu Nuclear Power Plant in Turkey is expected to be officially loaded with fuel and achieve first criticality (i.e., the first self-sustaining nuclear chain reaction) in the second half of December this year, pushing the project to formally transition from the construction phase to the commissioning and startup phase.

It is understood that the Akkuyu Nuclear Power Plant is Turkey's first nuclear power plant. The project plans to build 4 Russian VVER-1200 Generation III reactors, with a total investment exceeding US$20 billion, fully funded and constructed by Rosatom under the "Build-Own-Operate" (BOO) model. Since construction began in 2018, the project has experienced several delays due to multiple factors. After completing physical startup and criticality, the unit will next face the key milestone of grid connection and power generation.

In addition, Likhachev also disclosed the latest progress on equity cooperation for the project. During the recently concluded Russian Energy Week international forum, he held a meeting with Alparslan Bayraktar, Minister of Energy and Natural Resources of Turkey, and submitted to the Turkish side a series of equity transfer proposals targeting Turkish investors.

According to the established agreement, Rosatom, as the sole owner of the Akkuyu Nuclear Power Plant, may sell up to 49% of the shares to potential partners to share the project's subsequent financing and investment burden. As regional energy security demand heats up, both sides are currently engaged in in-depth consultations on new proposals such as Turkish companies taking equity stakes.