Rosatom is building nuclear stations in Turkey, Bangladesh, India, China and Egypt and preparing for the first concrete pouring in Hungary. Here is our account of what is happening at the construction sites of Russian-­designed nuclear power plants around the world.

Akkuyu NPP (Turkey)

Principal construction works at the nuclear island of Akkuyu Unit 1 have been completed to give way to pre-commissioning operations. Equipment checks are running in the reactor compartment, which will be followed by cold and hot functional tests, including the primary circuit flushing, hydraulic tests on pipelines and equipment, plant system test runs, and loading of dummy fuel assemblies into the reactor core.

A roof has been installed over the turbine island, while installation of the turbine is still in progress. Work has begun to assemble electric motors for the primary coolant pumps. The spent fuel pool has passed hydraulic tests. Installation of the fuel handling machine is currently continuing. In the near future, wire ropes will be tensioned for the prestressing system of the containment, which protects the reactor from external impacts.

At Unit 2, builders are finishing the installation of roof trusses over the turbine hall. The reactor pressure vessel has been installed, and so has the reactor pit liner. Preparations are underway for the installation of principal equipment, including steam generators, circulation pumps, protection systems, and a pressurizer. After that, welding operations will begin to assemble the primary coolant pipeline.

At Unit 3, four tiers of the inner containment have been assembled, and a cantilever truss has been installed in the reactor compartment. The reactor pit is currently under construction, with the support ring and load-bearing structures installed. Installation of the reactor pressure vessel is scheduled for the second half of the year. Builders are erecting outer walls and a containment area of the reactor building. The height of the turbine hall has reached the turbine installation level.

At Unit 4, the first tier of the containment has been erected, and the melt trap installed. Concreting operations in the turbine building have reached the zero level.

The work is continuing to build and commission auxiliary buildings and structures: the fresh fuel storage facility is already in operation, the first section of the training center with a full-scale simulator has been commissioned; the chemical laboratory and the gas and oil laboratory are also in operation. A total of about 560 buildings and structures are being constructed on the site.

Rooppur NPP (Bangladesh)

At Rooppur Unit 1, the reactor has passed a fit-up assembly test, while installation of the fuel handling machine is underway. Turbine assembly operations are continuing in the turbine building. A 50‑tonne crane is being installed in the pumping station, while workers are assembling and adjusting electrical equipment and laying connecting cables.

At Unit 2, concreting of the outer containment dome and installation of the passive heat removal system deflector have been completed in the reactor building. Injection of reinforcement steel for the containment prestressing system is in progress.

El Dabaa NPP (Egypt)

At El Dabaa Unit 1, builders are concreting the lower foundation slab of the reactor building to reach the level of –7.250 meters, which will require 7,416 cubic meters of concrete. Installation of the entire first tier of the outer containment will be completed in May. Foundation slab reinforcement and concreting operations are underway at the turbine island. They are planned to be completed by the end of this June. Laying of the circulation pipelines, which have a diameter of 3 meters, has also begun on the site.

At Unit 2, workers have finished concreting a floor slab at the level of –14.950 meters. The slab separates the lower tiers of the annular floor in the reactor building. After that, the workers will proceed with concreting the outer walls and installing the so-called ‘table’ for the reinforcement of the lower foundation slab. These operations are planned to be completed by mid-­July. Concreting of the foundation slab in the turbine building started almost a month ahead of schedule.

At Unit 3, preparations are underway for the installation of a core catcher body. The sealing liner has been installed up to the level of –10.250 meters, and workers have started reinforcing the foundation slab and installing embedded parts for the core catcher. South Korean contractors have proceeded with laying the waterproofing on the foundation slab of the turbine island.

At Unit 4, the work is in progress at 16 structures. Reinforcement operations and installation of embedded parts is underway at the first tier of the reactor building, while workers are concreting other buildings on the single foundation slab of the nuclear island.

Paks II NPP (Hungary)

In April, the core catcher passed factory acceptance tests, and production of the reactor pressure vessel began. Soil stabilization operations and the establishment of a construction yard and warehouses are in progress. The transformer substation was connected to the grid.

Kudankulam NPP (India)

Safety system pipes connected with the primary coolant circuit are being installed in the reactor building of Unit 3. In the turbine building, the body of the second low-pressure cylinder is being assembled and cooling tubes are being installed in the main turbine condenser.

Installation of the nuclear plant equipment continues in the reactor building of Unit 4. The reactor pressure vessel and steam generator No. 4 have been installed in the design position. Workers are preparing to install steam generator No. 3.

At Unit 5, the support truss has been installed in the reactor building; the second tier of the containment building is being assembled and installed.

Concreting of the annular floor has been completed in the reactor building of Unit 6, and workers are preparing to install the core catcher.

In January–February 2024, two shiploads and containers of equipment for the Kudankulam power units were shipped from Russia and Korea. Another shipload of equipment is planned to be sent in the near future.

Tianwan NPP (China)

Installation of the main circulation pumps and the reactor support ring is in progress at Tianwan Unit 7. Welding operations are underway at the reactor building dome of Unit 8. A polar crane was put into operation in the second half of May.

Xudabao NPP (China)

Main circulation pipes are being installed at Xudabao Unit 3. Preparations are underway at Unit 4 to lay tracks for the polar crane. Installation of the crane is scheduled for the end of May.

Sites in Russia

Non-pressure tests of safety systems are nearing completion at Kursk II Unit 1. Preparations are being made in the turbine hall to place the turbine onto the shaft-­turning device. The inner side of the cooling tower of Unit 1 was painted and workers have proceeded with painting the outer side.

The equipment of Unit 2 is being prepared for the start of flushing operations. The work is underway to weld the support truss, pressurizer and pipelines of the main emergency systems, and to prepare the connecting pipes for welding.