News

30.03.2023

RUSSIA STARTED MANUFACTURING A SAFETY SYSTEM ACCUMULATOR FOR UNIT 4 OF AKKUYU NPP

March 30, 2023, Petrozavodsk, Russia. – In Russia, the production of hydraulic accumulator for the emergency core cooling system (ECCS) for Unit 4 of Akkuyu NPP began.

ECCS accumulators are one of the most important elements of the safety system; they are among the additional protective mechanisms of NPP that operate without the participation of personnel and the use of external power supply sources. The structure consists of four tanks of 75 tons each. The accumulators are made of carbon steel and include three shells with a diameter of more than 3 meters. During operation, each tank contains 60 cubic meters of an aqueous solution of boric acid. The cooling system ensures the safe removal of the reactor core decay heat in case of emergency.

Sergei Butсkikh, First Deputy Chief Executive Officer, Director of Akkuyu NPP under Construction, commented on the commencement of production of ECCS hydraulic accumulators: “The equipment for the Akkuyu NPP is being manufactured in accordance with the design documentation and the construction schedule, as well as thanks to the well-coordinated work of AKKUYU NUCLEAR employees and Russian colleagues. After the production of the cooling tank, hydraulic tests will be carried out, which are one of the important stages of the final control of the equipment. Then the tanks will be delivered to the site in Turkey to be installed in the reactor building of Unit 4.”

During the construction of the first NPP in Turkey, the modern and safest VVER-1200 technology is used, based on many years of Russian experience in operating reactors of this type. In Russia and Belarus, there are 5 reference power units for the Akkuyu NPP, and 34 more reactors using this technology are being built in 11 countries.

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Akkuyu NPP is the first nuclear power plant in the Republic of Turkey. The Akkuyu NPP project includes four power units with Russian-designed VVER generation 3+ reactors. The capacity of each NPP power unit will be 1200 MW. The Russian state corporation Rosatom owns 100% of shares in the project and may sell up to 49% to one investor or to several companies based on an Intergovernmental Agreement.

The construction of the Akkuyu NPP is the first project in the global nuclear industry implemented according to the Build-Own-Operate model.

Under the terms of the Intergovernmental Agreement between the Russian Federation and the Republic of Turkey, the first NPP power unit must be commissioned within 7 years after obtaining all permits for the construction of the unit. Subject to the license obtained for the construction of power unit No. 1 in 2018, the commissioning will take place in 2025. At the same time, the project participants are making every effort to complete a key event, i.e. to ensure the delivery of fresh nuclear fuel to the Akkuyu NPP site in 2023, which is an anniversary year for the Republic of Turkey.