Turkey Nears Historic Nuclear Milestone as Akkuyu Prepares for Test Operations

Turkey's first nuclear power plant, Akkuyu, is expected to begin test electricity generation before the end of 2026 as engineers move into the final stages of commissioning the facility's first reactor, Energy and Natural Resources Minister Alparslan Bayraktar announced.

Photo: commons.wikimedia.org by Rosatom Digital Press Office/АО «Аккую Нуклеар», https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/

Akkuyu Nuclear Power Plant

Commissioning Work Enters Final Phase

Speaking to TRT Haber, Bayraktar said that approximately 15% to 20% of the testing program at the Akkuyu Nuclear Power Plant has already been completed.

Once all commissioning tests are finished, the project is expected to enter trial operation, allowing the first reactor to generate electricity for the first time before the end of the year.

"Around 15 to 20 percent of the testing at Akkuyu has now been completed. Once these tests are finished, we expect to move into trial operation by the end of the year and begin generating the plant's first electricity. Both the Russian and Turkish sides are fully focused on achieving this goal," Bayraktar said.

Four-Reactor Project Continues to Advance

The Akkuyu Nuclear Power Plant is being built on Turkey's southern Mediterranean coast by Akkuyu Nuclear JSC, a subsidiary of Russia's state nuclear corporation Rosatom, under an intergovernmental agreement between Turkey and Russia.

The project includes four Generation III+ VVER-1200 nuclear reactors, each with a generating capacity of 1,200 megawatts. Once all four units are operational, the plant will have a total installed capacity of 4,800 megawatts, making it one of Turkey's largest electricity generation facilities.

Thousands of Tests Underway

Bayraktar said commissioning activities continue on the first power unit, where engineers are carrying out approximately 2,000 individual system tests before the reactor can begin commercial operation.

Construction of the second, third and fourth reactor units is progressing simultaneously.

Rosatom Director General Alexey Likhachev announced on June 22 that construction work on the first reactor had been completed, allowing the project to move into its comprehensive testing and commissioning phase.

Turkey's Nuclear Energy Era Begins

The launch of the first Akkuyu reactor will mark Turkey's entry into nuclear power generation, diversifying the country's energy mix and establishing nuclear energy as a new source of domestic electricity production.