Active construction is underway at the Akkuyu NPP. Experts from TESPAM describe the plant’s upcoming commissioning as a historic milestone that will lay the technological and energy groundwork for the next half-century. Meanwhile, Akkuyu Nuclear is stepping up its career guidance efforts, with university and school students from the region visiting the construction site.
The water chemistry laboratory of the Akkuyu NPP chemical department has confirmed its high qualifications and the quality of its measurements. Following an independent audit, it was internationally recognized as a “Laboratory of Excellence.” The laboratory technicians conduct high-precision analysis of the water to be used during the operation of the nuclear power plant, as well as for flushing equipment during the preparation for the reactor launch.
“For a nuclear power plant, water is as strategically important an element as technology. The independent assessment of measurements at our water chemistry laboratory confirms that we are building a quality control system in line with the best global practices,” said Sergey Butskikh, CEO of Akkuyu Nuclear JSC.
The audit is a vital step in preparing for accreditation under the international standard for industrial environmental monitoring. In the next stage, the laboratory will undergo accreditation by the authorized national body of the Republic of Türkiye, TÜRKAK.
One of the objectives of Akkuyu Nuclear is to promote engineering professions and raise the prestige of higher engineering and technical education. To this end, regular meetings are held with the student community.
In February, students from the Civil Engineering Department of Dicle University (Diyarbakır) and the Engineering Faculty of Ege University (Izmir) visited the site to see the construction of Türkiye’s first nuclear power plant with their own eyes and learn about career opportunities within the project. Specialists briefed the students on the plant’s technological features and operating principles. The young people learned about opportunities to study in master’s programs at leading Russian technical universities under the specialized personnel training program for the Akkuyu NPP. Program graduates — Turkish engineers currently working at the plant — shared their personal experiences with the students. “The Akkuyu NPP is a multifaceted project that has a noticeable impact on many areas of economic and social life. For future engineers, the nuclear plant site is also an effective educational platform that helps them form an understanding of current nuclear technologies and advanced engineering solutions,” Sergey Butskikh said.
During the tour, the students had a chance to see the scale of the construction from a viewing platform 200 meters above sea level. They also visited the Akkuyu NPP training center, an educational facility for the professional training of nuclear power plant operators. Its heart is the full-scale simulator, which is an exact replica of the main control room.
Another educational initiative by Akkuyu Nuclear is quest tours for schoolchildren at the nuclear plant site. A new season kicked off this year: the first educational tour in February was held for students of the İlker Eren Çevik Anatolian High School (Silifke). At each stage of the quest, participants completed creative tasks requiring agility, general knowledge, and teamwork. At the end of the tour, each student received a commemorative souvenir.
“It is important for us that schoolchildren understand that working at a nuclear power plant means a prestigious profession, stable employment for decades, and the opportunity to continuously develop and build a future in their homeland, without having to leave their home region,” Sergey Butskikh explains.
The construction of the Akkuyu Nuclear Power Plant is in an active phase. Commissioning work is underway at Unit 1. The plant’s entry into service is a critical milestone in the history of Türkiye’s energy sector, according to Oğuzhan Akyener, President of the Turkish Energy Strategies & Politics Research Center (TESPAM). In an interview with KANAL 33, the expert emphasized that the Akkuyu NPP is a strategic investment that will shape not only today but the next half-century. “The process that began with Akkuyu signifies a long-term transformation that goes beyond Türkiye’s status as an energy-importing country and supports its goal of becoming a state with a voice in the production of high-tech, high-value-added products. This step is one of the major structural reforms capable of reducing the foreign trade deficit in the energy sector,” Oğuzhan Akyener emphasized.
Professor Dr. Uğur Çevik, Chairman of the Board of TESPAM Teknoloji A.Ş., assessed the strategic importance of Akkuyu in terms of the security of energy supply: “Upon reaching full capacity, the Akkuyu NPP will cover about 10% of Türkiye’s electricity needs. The plant’s service life is 60 years, with the potential for a 20-year extension. This means long-term, uninterrupted generation, as well as an insurance policy that will protect Türkiye from energy shocks over the coming century.”
The economic impact of the Akkuyu project is not limited to electricity generation. Oğuzhan Akyener highlighted that local content in the project has reached 50%, which fosters the rapid development of the Turkish nuclear industry and turns Turkish companies into exporters.
Professor Uğur Çevik provided the following assessment: “During the plant’s construction period, thanks to its direct and indirect effects, jobs were provided for tens of thousands of people, and billions of dollars’ worth of contracts was tendered out. During the operation period, a stable economic structure will be formed in areas such as maintenance, engineering, nuclear fuel management, and technical services. The total contribution of the project is expected to be around USD 50 billion.” Uğur Çevik also stressed the contribution of nuclear energy to achieving Türkiye’s carbon neutrality goals.
Photo by: Photo by: Akkuyu Nuclear JSC
