In total more than 307 tonnes of reinforcement steel was included in the foundation - the steel rods used in the frame varied with diameters up to 36 millimetres. In total 2220 cubic metres of high-strength self-compacting concrete were used.
Sergei Butсkikh, CEO of Akkuyu Nuclear, said: "The design maturing period will be 56 days. During this time there will be monitoring and steam curing, especially important to ensure high quality of the massive foundation structure."
(Image: Akkuyu NPP)
The foundation is designed to withstand and evenly distribute heavy loads generated during turbine operation. Once it has reached its design strength full-scale work on installing the turbine generator plant will begin.
The background
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 2010 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. Turkey's Nuclear Regulatory Agency issued permission for the first unit to be commissioned in December, and in February it was announced that the reactor compartment had been prepared for controlled assembly of the reactor - and the generator stator had also been installed in its pre-design position.
The aim is for unit 1 to begin supplying Turkey's energy system in 2025. When the 4800 MWe plant is completed it is expected to meet about 10% of Turkey's electricity needs, with the aim that all four units will be operational by the end of 2028.
