The installation of the passive heat removal system (PHRS) has been completed on the first power unit of the Akkuyu NPP under construction in Turkey, Rosatom announced. This means that power unit No. 1 is fully equipped with all key safety systems and is ready for the start of commissioning operations. Approximately 90 components, including heat exchangers, a deflector, air ducts, and electromagnetic devices, were progressively installed on the dome of the reactor building.
The operating principle eliminates the human factor and dependence on power supply. The PHRS consists of four independent channels — one for each steam generator — and functions solely due to natural physical processes. Atmospheric air enters the heat exchangers, heats up, rises, and returns to the atmosphere, removing heat from the reactor core even in the event of a complete power outage at the station.
Akkuyu NPP is the world's first nuclear power plant implemented under the Build-Own-Operate model. Four power units with VVER-1200 reactors with a total capacity of 4800 MW are being built on the southern coast of Turkey. The presence of a passive safety system, requiring neither electricity nor personnel actions, is a fundamental barrier that prevents a repeat of the Fukushima scenario even in the event of a combination of natural disasters and power supply failure.