Akkuyu eyes first nuclear power by year-end
Türkiye’s first nuclear power plant has completed a critical commissioning milestone by loading simulated fuel assemblies into its first reactor unit, keeping the project on track to generate its first electricity by the end of the year, officials have announced.
The Energy and Natural Resources Ministry said a total of 163 dummy fuel assemblies were loaded into the reactor pressure vessel at the Akkuyu Nuclear Power Plant, located in the southern province of Mersin.
The five-day, round-the-clock operation served as a full-scale rehearsal for the actual loading of radioactive fuel. Supervised by the country’s Nuclear Regulatory Authority, the procedure tested the facility’s mechanical, hydraulic and thermal systems, as well as its structural durability under international safety requirements.
Energy and Natural Resources Minister Alparslan Bayraktar praised the step as a major advancement in the multibillion-dollar project’s timeline.
