The Volgodonsk branch of Russia's AEM Technology has completed the manufacture of the reactor cover for unit 1 of the Akkuyu nuclear power plant under construction in Turkey. The product weighs 93 tonnes and has a diameter of 4.5 metres.

AEM Technology, a subsidiary of Russian state nuclear corporation Rosatom, said reactor lid manufacturing is a lengthy process and takes up to one-and-a-half years. The work includes hydraulic tests to confirm the strength and density of the base metal and welded joints of the reactor head. To confirm the alignment of the elements, the reactor lid undergoes a control assembly as part of the upper block. The main stages of manufacturing took place under the supervision of the Turkish Nuclear Regulatory Agency.

The reactor head, like the reactor pressure vessel (RPV), belongs to the items of equipment of the first category of seismic resistance, AEM Technology said. The service life of the reactor head is 60 years, with the possibility of extending this by another 20 years, it added.

The RPV for Akkuyu unit 1 was delivered to the site in Mersin province on 10 November.

The 4800 MWe plant will comprise four VVER-1200 reactors and is expected to meet about 10% of Turkey's electricity needs. Rosatom’s first build-own-operate venture, the USD20 billion project is based on an inter-governmental agreement signed between Russia and Turkey in May 2010.