ISTANBUL

The commissioning process has begun for the first unit of Türkiye's first nuclear power plant, the project's top executive told Anadolu on Tuesday.

"Despite some challenges, everything is progressing according to schedule," said Anton Dedusenko, chairman of the board of the Akkuyu Nuclear Joint Stock Company, speaking on the sidelines of the 11th Nuclear Power Plants Summit in Istanbul.

"We plan to carry out preparatory work this year to connect the first unit's switchyard to the electrical transmission system," added Dedusenko, who is also the CEO of Rusatom Energy International.

Dedusenko said the general construction of the 1,200-megawatt Unit 1 is complete and that trial operations are underway, calling the startup phase "a very important period for a nuclear power unit."

The executive said the Akkuyu plant will play a key role in supporting Türkiye's 2053 net-zero target, as it will help reduce the country’s carbon emissions by 20%.

"This is a very significant contribution," he added.

Türkiye, Rosatom continue negotiations for future plants

On Rosatom's negotiations for the construction of a second nuclear plant in Türkiye's Black Sea province of Sinop, Dedusenko said: "Negotiations with our partners in Türkiye have been ongoing for several years."

"We have made significant progress with our Turkish partners. As part of this process, we are ready to present technical and economic feasibility studies this year, but the final decision always rests with the Turkish side. These discussions are currently ongoing," he added.

Dedusenko said that they are in favor of inviting Turkish companies with experience with Akkuyu to collaborate on Rosatom's projects in other countries.

"Turkish companies definitely have an advantage because they have experience in a project like Akkuyu," he added.

Each of Akkuyu's four reactors is scheduled to start operation one year apart. At full power, the plant is expected to cover about 10% of Türkiye's electricity demand and operate for at least 60 years, with a possible 20-year extension.

Alongside Akkuyu, Ankara plans additional nuclear facilities in Sinop and the northwestern Thrace region, targeting 20,000 megawatts of installed nuclear capacity by 2050.