The fuel to be used in Türkiye’s first nuclear power plant (NPP), Akkuyu NPP, which is currently under construction in southern Mersin province’s Gülnar district, will be brought to the country at the end of May next year, the general manager of Akkuyu Nuclear Inc. Anastasia Zoteeva said Tuesday.

Zoteeva was speaking at the 12th International Nuclear Energy Fair "Atomexpo 2022" held in Sochi, Russia, where she said the construction works at Akkuyu NPP continue according to schedule.

Stating that the works on the first reactor at the power plant as well as the construction of other reactors continue simultaneously, Zoteeva said, "I am looking forward to next year. In 2023, we will have completed all the construction works and we will be at the stage of bringing fresh fuel to the country for the first power unit."

Emphasizing that nuclear fuel must go through important stages in order to manufacture and bring it to Türkiye, Zoteeva said: "In the last four years, our companies and regulatory institutions have been working very hard on this issue. Nuclear fuel goes through very important processes during its manufacture and is subject to strict control. The facility where the nuclear fuel will be stored has been prepared and the production of the fuel has started. Based on this, it is expected that nuclear fuel will be introduced into the country at the end of May next year. It is an exciting event for us as well."

Akkuyu Nuclear continues to employ young people and specialists within the scope of the NPP project, Zoteeva said, adding, "The contribution of the power plant to Türkiye's economy during its operation is foreseen as $50 billion."

Zoteeva stated that active and passive safety measures are applied together at Akkuyu NPP: "The cost of security measures in the NPP is equivalent to 40% of the entire project cost. It is possible to understand from here how much importance is given to security systems."

Akkuyu NPP, a joint Russia-Türkiye project that was started after signing an agreement between the two states, will have a total capacity of 4,800 megawatts and will consist of four reactors. It is expected the first reactor will be commissioned in 2023.