The construction site is located on the picturesque Akkuyu Bay, which literally means a ‘clean water well’. “The first Turkish nuclear power plant is a strategic project for both Turkey and Russia. It will create thousands of new jobs, with up to ten thousand people employed here at the height of construction,” Sergei Kirienko told reporters. “Priority is being given to local suppliers.”
“No country can develop without a nuclear industry. Turkey needs diversified power sources, and nuclear stations should become an integral part of the Turkish landscape,” noted Taner Yildiz.
During the ceremony, Sergei Kirienko and Taner Yildiz placed a time capsule with a message to future generations. “We have long been waiting for this day to come. In a short while there will be large structures and buildings on this spot. The best word to describe this project is ‘first’– it is the first nuclear power plant in Turkey and the first BOO (Build, Own, Operate) project in the global nuclear industry. In addition, Akkuyu is the first on the list of Turkish companies based on the amount of their direct foreign investment,” Fuad Akhundov noted.
Russia and Turkey signed an agreement on joint construction of the nuclear power plant in 2010. The agreement provides for the construction of four AES-2006 units with VVER-1200 reactors, for a total capacity of 4,800 MW. The project price is about 20 billion US dollars. Last December the Turkish Ministry of Environment and Urban Planning approved an environmental impact assessment report that set a record for scope. “A standard EIA report runs about 500 pages and requires at most 6 months for approval. With more than 5,000 pages, this report is larger than ever before. Evaluation and follow-up revision took more than two years,” Sergei Kirienko said. “A huge amount of work has already been done at the site: we have already moved over four million cubic meters of soil, with 16 million to follow.” Construction of Unit One will begin as soon as a construction license is issued and the Turkish Parliament passes amendments to existing legislation; these amendments are currently under consideration.
Akkuyu NPP will operate for over 60 years and needs skilled human resources. Young people in Turkey are developing increasing interest in nuclear energy. Russia currently hosts 250 Turkish students, with 80 more to come soon. “6,100 applications were submitted this year to study in Russia – more than 70 for each position,” Mr. Kirienko emphasized.
The Akkuyu Project is now at its preparatory stage. In pursuit of maximum local participation, Turkish contractors will carry out nearly 90% of construction and about 50% of equipment installation. According to Sergei Kirienko, this is the first time Rosatom has invited only local companies to bid. Rosatom’s CEO explained, “We have never done this before. In other countries, any company that wanted to could take part in the bidding process. But we are doing it here to allow Turkish companies to gain the necessary experience. The goal is to form a pool of partners who will take part in the construction of Rosatom’s nuclear facilities in Russia and other countries.” He noted that the contract price exceeded one billion US dollars. In the bidding process, this was first reduced to 900 million, and then to 344 million dollars, which is approximately one third of the initial contract price.
