The first power unit of the Akkuyu NPP under construction has completed the final rehearsal of nuclear fuel loading. According to Rosatom, 163 dummy fuel assemblies were successively installed into the reactor vessel – they fully replicate the design, mass, and dimensions of standard fuel, but lack nuclear material.
The products were manufactured by the Novosibirsk Chemical Concentrates Plant, part of the state corporation's fuel division. The procedure confirms the readiness of equipment and personnel for the next stage – cold and hot testing of the reactor unit, which precedes the physical start-up. During the testing, specialists will check hydraulic characteristics and practice transport and technological operations with the refueling machine. The work is being carried out under the supervision of the Nuclear Regulatory Authority of Turkey.
Akkuyu NPP is the first nuclear power plant built under the Build-Own-Operate model. Four power units with VVER generation 3+ reactors will each produce 1200 MW. The completion of dummy fuel loading means that the Turkish site is transitioning from construction operations to commissioning – this is the last straight before loading real fuel into the core.
Read more on the topic:
- Rosatom prepares for key stage of commissioning the first power unit of Akkuyu NPP
- 16 Steam Generators for 4 Units: Rosatom Completes Deliveries to Akkuyu NPP
- Likhachev: The first unit of Akkuyu NPP has been completed