Turkey’s Nuclear Regulatory Authority’s Board has agreed to issue a construction license for Unit 4 of Akkuyu nuclear power plant to Akkuyu Nuclear JSC, Russia’s state atomic corporation Rosatom said on October 29, adding that the issuing of this license means that all construction and installation work pertaining to Unit 4, including that of nuclear safety facilities, can now be started.
The licensing documentation was submitted to the Nuclear Regulatory Authority (NDK) on May 12, 2020. As part of the application, Akkuyu Nuclear JSC submitted a copy of the Preliminary Safety Analysis Report (PSAR) and a copy of the Probabilistic Safety Analysis (PSA) for Akkuyu NPP, as well as a number of other documents confirming the safety and reliability of the power unit to be constructed, Rosatom said.
The construction license for Unit 4 of the Akkuyu NPP was issued following an evaluation of the licensing documentation by the Nuclear Regulatory Authority’s Board. The license allows to start building the unit’s reactor and turbine island.
“Obtaining the construction license for Unit 4 is an important stage of the project’s implementation. First and foremost, I would like to sincerely thank both our Turkish and Russian colleagues who participated in applying for this important document,” Akkuyu Nuclear JSC Director General Anastasia Zoteeva said.
“Having received the construction license for Unit 4, we have completed the licensing process for the construction of our four-unit nuclear power plant and have, therefore, had the safety, in-depth development, relevance, and uniqueness of our project reaffirmed by our Turkish colleagues at the Nuclear Regulatory Authority. We are now ready to carry out works on all four power units. At the beginning of next year, we will start building the foundation slab of the nuclear island buildings,” Zoteeva added.
Prior to issuing of the construction license, preparatory works, including engineering surveys and pit excavations were carried out at the construction site of Unit 4 on the basis of a limited construction permit dated June 30, 2021. By the end of this year, the construction of the concrete base of the foundation slabs of the reactor and turbine buildings is expected to start. The foundation slabs will then be reinforced.
According to Rosatom, the licensing process for Turkey’s first nuclear power plant has involved obtaining about 120 different licenses and permits from various Turkish government agencies. To date, all key licenses and permits, including a positive environmental impact assessment report, an electricity generation license, power unit construction licenses, and operating permit of the Eastern Cargo Terminal have already been issued, Rosatom said.
In the future, the Nuclear Regulatory Authority will have to evaluate applications for licenses for commissioning and operation, fuel loading, and the accreditation of personnel for each of the four NPP power units under construction.
At the moment, the construction site of Akkuyu nuclear power plant is the largest nuclear construction site in the world. The NPP construction site gathers 12,000 workers every day, as well as over 1,000 units of construction equipment and vehicles and 70 construction cranes.
All work is carried out in close cooperation with and under the supervision of Turkish government agencies and independent inspection agencies.
