Tashkent, Uzbekistan (UzDaily.com) -- A ceremony commemorating the start of Unit 3 construction was held at the site of the first Turkish nuclear power plant Akkuyu.

Russian President Vladimir Putin and Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan joined the ceremony via videoconference. Energy and Natural Resources Minister Fatih Dönmez, ROSATOM Director General Alexey Likhachev and Akkuyu Nuclear JSC CEO Anastasia Zoteeva were present at the Akkuyu NPP site.

At the ceremony, the leaders of the two countries gave permission to start construction work by pouring the first concrete into the foundation of Unit 3. Speaking at the event, Alexey Likhachev noted that construction work was progressing rapidly. “Just three years after the Akkuyu NPP construction began, we are starting full-scale construction work on the third power unit. The project is proceeding at an unprecedented speed. I would like to express my sincere gratitude to the Turkish government and local officials for their comprehensive support of the project. Only through the support of the country’s leadership, Turkish industrial companies and the public, we will be able to build the nuclear power plant quickly and efficiently. The NPP will be one of the cornerstones for the country’s energy security,” he said.

Fatih Dönmez commented: “Construction and commissioning of the plant will provide 10% of Turkey’s electricity needs. It is also important contribution to the preservation of our ecology: nuclear power plants are a source of environmentally friendly and uninterrupted electricity. The project is a driver for the development of industry, economy, employment, and also contributes to the development of many related industries."

The construction license for Unit 3 was issued by the Nuclear Regulatory Authority (NDK) on  November 13, 2020. Concrete is being poured onto the reinforced base of the power unit. The foundation is divided into 16 work zones, so-called sections. Concrete pouring at each section will be carried out round the clock, and a technical shelter will protect the site from precipitation. Concrete will be poured to a height of 2.6 meters; the average volume of each section will be 1,100 cubic meters. The total amount of concrete mixture poured into the foundation slab as part of the concrete pouring works will be 17,000 cubic meters. 

The whole set of preparatory works preceded the foundation slab concrete pouring: arrangement of water drawdown, excavation of the pit, arrangement of the concrete pad and waterproofing, foundation reinforcement and installation of embedded parts. Specialists are present on site to control the concrete pouring process, including experts from the concrete batching plant laboratory, representatives of AKKUYU NUCLEAR JSC, main construction contractor TİTAN 2 IC IÇTAŞ İNŞAAT ANONIM ŞİRKETİ Joint Venture, as well as employees of the independent construction supervision organization Assystem EOS, a French engineering company.