Natalya Nikipelova, president of TVEL, which is part of Rosatom, said the contract was concluded "within the framework of cooperation between Rosatom and the Republic of Turkey, aimed at fulfilling obligations under the intergovernmental agreement on the construction of the Akkuyu NPP relating to the decommissioning of nuclear power plant units and waste management".
Akkuyu, in the southern Mersin province, is Turkey's first nuclear power plant. Rosatom is building four VVER-1200 reactors, under a so-called BOO (build-own-operate) model. According to the terms of the Intergovernmental Agreement between the Russian Federation and the Republic of Turkey, the commissioning of the first power unit of the nuclear power plant must take place within seven years from receipt of all permits for the construction of the unit.
The licence for the construction of the first unit was issued in 2018, with construction work beginning that year. Nuclear fuel was delivered to the site in April 2023, with the aim of carrying out a physical start-up in 2024. The 4800 MWe plant is expected to meet about 10% of Turkey's electricity needs, when all four units are operational, scheduled to be by the end of 2028.
Rosatom says that it will develop costings and a plan to provide contributions during the plant's operation to contribute to the decommissioning costs at the end of its life.
