Deliveries of the key equipment for the Akkuyu Nuclear Power Plant are continuing, with over 7,000 tonnes of machinery for its four nuclear islands already manufactured at Rosatom’s production sites. Türkiye has also joined the Global HackAtom international student championship, holding the national stage at one of the country’s leading universities for the first time.
The installation of the main overhead crane with a lifting capacity of 350 tonnes has been completed in the turbine hall of Akkuyu Unit 3. The crane will move equipment during the construction phase and also when the power unit is in operation. It will lift 100-tonne turbine rotors, as well as turbine generator and pipeline components. During plant operation, the crane will be used for the maintenance and scheduled repair of the turbine.
Prior to commissioning, workers will need to install the trolley, configure the control and safety systems, and conduct static and dynamic testing, including a maximum load test.
According to Sergey Butskikh, CEO of Akkuyu Nuclear JSC, the commissioning of the crane will allow for the transition to the installation of key turbine equipment items. “The overhead crane also enables us to finish installing the roof of the turbine hall and makes it possible to equip the building with the main systems and equipment for the turbine unit. The crane will ensure the necessary precision of equipment installation, which is crucial for pre-commissioning operations and the operational reliability of the power unit,” Sergey Butskikh emphasized.
A total of three overhead cranes are planned for the turbine hall; their operation will be synchronized by a single control system, eliminating the risk of collisions. The main crane is located on the upper level, while two additional cranes with lifting capacities of 30 and 15 tonnes operate on the lower level.
Meanwhile, equipment deliveries for the third and fourth power units are continuing. In early June, a set of four steam generators for Unit 4 arrived at the site. Steam generators are vital components of the reactor plant, categorized as Safety Class 1 items. The steam produced in the steam generators is supplied through secondary circuit steam pipelines to the turbine hall, where its energy rotates the shaft of the steam turbine. In May, four accumulators of the emergency core cooling system (ECCS) intended for Unit 3 were delivered by sea to the Vostochny cargo terminal. As Sergey Butskikh noted, this was the 120th ship carrying equipment for the Turkish nuclear new build.
In total, Rosatom subsidiaries have manufactured over 7,000 tonnes of equipment for the four nuclear islands of the Akkuyu Nuclear Power Plant. The most critical components include four latest-generation VVER-1200 reactor pressure vessels and 16 steam generators, which will serve throughout the entire operating life of the power units.
In late May, the first national stage of the Global HackAtom international student championship, organized by Rosatom, was held in Ankara at Hacettepe University. The theme of the stage was centered around promising nuclear energy applications in Türkiye.
Over two days, students developed solutions involving the use of nuclear technologies for the country’s development. The program included lectures by experts from the Obninsk Institute for Nuclear Power Engineering and Akkuyu Nuclear JSC, followed by project defenses before an expert jury. The winning team was Boiling Water (Again) from Hacettepe University, which will represent Türkiye in the HackAtom Grand Final in Yekaterinburg in September 2026.
“The Turkish stage confirmed the youth’s interest in nuclear energy and their drive to find new, unconventional engineering solutions. Such initiatives help future professionals develop practical skills and open up opportunities to build a career in one of the most prestigious engineering occupations,” noted Ahmet Yasin Öner, a MEPhI graduate and a lead specialist in the commercial dispatching group at Akkuyu Nuclear JSC.
The involvement of young people in the industry agenda is also supported through educational tours at the plant site. Ahead of May 19, the Commemoration of Atatürk, Youth, and Sports Day, a delegation of young athletes from the Mersin Province visited the Akkuyu NPP. The guests were briefed on the construction progress, visited the training center, and went to the viewing platform overlooking the power units.
Akkuyu Nuclear CEO Sergey Butskikh noted that the young athletes’ interest in the Akkuyu NPP project is symbolic in the context of the May 19 holiday and reflects values shared by both sports and the nuclear industry: discipline, responsibility, teamwork, and the drive for development.
The development of nuclear power in Türkiye is a strategic move. As Minister of Energy and Natural Resources Alparslan Bayraktar stated at the İNRES 2026 summit, the country intends to become a new player in the global nuclear energy “renaissance,” according to the Sabah newspaper. It is impossible to ensure either energy security or the achievement of climate goals without developing nuclear generation, the minister pointed out.
Türkiye plans to bring its installed nuclear capacity to 20 GW by 2050, as well as to develop small modular reactors (SMRs). Against the backdrop of growing energy consumption and external challenges, nuclear energy is viewed as a key element of sustainable development, Alparslan Bayraktar emphasized.
Photo by: Akkuyu Nuclear JSC
