Turkey Hosts Nuclear Energy Summit Held with Participation of AKKUYU NUCLEAR JSC

Turkey Hosts Nuclear Energy Summit Held with Participation of
AKKUYU NUCLEAR JSC

The 4th International Nuclear Power Plants Summit took place in Istanbul, Turkey. The Summit was organized by the Nuclear Industry Association of Turkey with the support from the Turkish Nuclear Engineers Society and Ministry of Energy and Natural Resources. Over the two days of work at the Summit, more than 200 business meetings and negotiations were held, in whuch the participants from Russia, Japan, Germany, France, Czech Republic and China discussed the opportunities for further nuclear cooperation. The Summit brought together major nuclear industry players and research specialists, as well as representatives of public and state organizations. A number of diverse panel discussions were held within the Framework of the summit, with production localization being one of the discussion topics. Over 100 foreign companies discussed the scope and prospects of their participation in the development of the nuclear industry. The Akkuyu NPP construction project, the first nuclear power plant in Turkey, which is being built using Russian technology, drew particular interest from leading representatives of the nuclear industry.
Speaking at the Summit’s opening ceremony, Head of the Organizing Committee Koray Tuncer stressed that the Turkish economy should focus on the development of advanced industries, including nuclear power, in the future. “NPP construction and operation is a long-term project; it’s a cycle that lasts for decades. Taking this into account, NPPs generate low-cost energy and facilitate the development of related industries. If Turkey invests in nuclear industry and stimulates local medium-sized and small businesses to produce what is needed for the NPPs, we will have a chance of securing a share in NPP construction projects not only in our country but also abroad. This will enable Turkey’s move from being a technology importing country to a technology exporting one,” Mr. Koray Tuncer said.
Chairwoman of the Summit, Professor of Nuclear Physics at Hacettepe University Dr. Sule Ergun mentioned that the construction of one NPP requires about 500,000 pieces of various equipment and creates jobs for 12,000-14,000 people. “The impact of NPP construction and operation projects on the economy can be compared to the effect of doping in sports. About 30 nuclear projects are to be launched in Turkey, Africa and the Middle East countries between now and the year of 2060. The value of each of them will amount to about $20 billion. Thus, we’re talking about creating a huge market of up to $600 billion,” Dr. Sule Ergun said.
AKKUYU NUCLEAR JSC acted as one of the main partners of the International Summit, while the company representatives participated in the Summit’s business program.
Director for Licensing and Government Relations at AKKUYU NUCLEAR JSC Kursad Tosun commented on the status of the licensing process for Akkuyu NPP. He reminded that the report on the NPP site parameters was approved in February 2017, while the application for a building permit was submitted to the Turkish Nuclear Energy Agency (TAEK) on March 3, 2017. According to Mr. Tosun, the company believes that the submission of these documents allows Turkish side to issue a limited building permit in 2017. This limited permit will allow it to start the construction of the so-called non-nuclear part of the NPP, the turbine island for instance, as well as auxiliary buildings and structures. He also added, “The company has a very active and busy work stage ahead. In February, we submitted an application for power generation license to the Energy Market Regulatory Authority (EMRA). They continue to consider our application.”
In his presentation, Director for Industrial Safety and Quality Control at AKKUYU NUCLEAR JSC Igor Kogay highlighted the project’s technical features. He presented the information about the company’s ownership structure and the “build-own-operate” (BOO) model. Mr. Kogay stressed that the Akkuyu NPP project is being implemented under an intergovernmental agreement and is the world’s only NPP construction project using the BOO model.
Coordinator for Local Procurement at AKKUYU NUCLEAR JSC Esra Songur dwelled on the topic of “Organization of Local Purchases at AKKUYU NUCLEAR JSC”, which is highly important for local suppliers. Speaking at the Summit, she said, “AKKUYU NUCLEAR JSC will assess Turkish suppliers according to various criteria, including quality assurance, availability of certificates and experience, design work capacities, workforce, production, and other factors.”
The panel discussion on the “Russian Experience and Expertise in the Nuclear Industry and Akkuyu NPP Project” drew significant interest from the Summit’s participants. Director of Department for International Activities at Rosatom Central Institute for Continuing Education & Training (CICE&T), Deputy Rector Vladimir Artisyuk said that the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) would have its main focus on the countries taking the path of nuclear development for the periods ahead. “Over the years, we have been cooperating with many countries in the field of training nuclear specialists,” Mr. Artisyuk noted. Speaking at the Summit, member of Rosatom Public Council, Director of online portal Russian Nuclear Community atomic-energy.ru Alena Yakovleva told the Summit’s audience about working on public acceptance of nuclear power. She noted that the Public Council, founded in 2006, was created with the purpose of raising public awareness of nuclear power. “It is an independent body founded to exert public control in the nuclear industry. We are forging an effective interaction between Rosatom, the poeple and public associations, as well as identifying the most relevant issues that the people are interested in. Every person living in close proximity to an NPP matters.” Ms. Yakovleva also expanded on the activities of the Public Information Center (PIC) at the Akkuyu NPP located in Mersin, Turkey: “We share the experience gained in Russia with Turkey. Over the 5 years of work, more than 70,000 people have visited the PIC. Opinion polls data show that over 80% of visitors have changed their attitude towards nuclear power, while 60% of them are convinced of the reliability of safety systems that modern NPPs are equipped with. The PIC is a unique facility providing answers to the questions of all parties concerned.”
Deputy Director of the Atomic Energy Center at MEPhI National Research Nuclear University Vladimir Kondakov highlighted the problem of training specialists for the NPP to be built in Turkey. He stressed that MEPhI National Research Nuclear University was founded in Russia 1942 and has been the training and research site for 38,000 students and 700 doctors of science. At present, over 700 foreign students, including the citizens of Turkey, Belarus, Jordan and other states, are studing at MEPhI. Senior students from Turkey have already learned the Russian language and can easily communicate with MEPhI’s staff and faculty members.

The Akkuyu NPP construction project, Turkey’s first nuclear power plant, is being implemented under the Intergovernmental Agreement signed by the Russian Federation and the Republic of Turkey on May 12, 2010 in Ankara. This project envisions the construction of 4 power units for 1,200 MW each. AKKUYU NPP is a serial design of ta generation 3+  nuclear power plant developed on the basis of the VVER-1200 reactor installed at the Novovoronezhs NPP (Voronezh Region, Russia). After the construction project completion, the Akkuyu NPP is expected to generate about 35 billion kWh annually.


Press Service of AKKUYU NUCLEAR JSC