Over 350 Turkish engineers start activity at Akkuyu nuclear power plant VIDEO 

Turkish Minister of Energy and Natural Resources Alparslan Bayraktar has written that the number of Turkish engineers who successfully completed their training in Russia and are now working at the Akkuyu Nuclear Power Plant in Mersin exceeded 350.

Bayraktar emphasised that these engineers, who received their undergraduate and postgraduate education in nuclear energy in Russia, will play a crucial role in shaping Türkiye's nuclear infrastructure and industry, Caliber.Az reports, citing the minister’s message on X.

Rusya’da nükleer alanında lisans ve yüksek lisans eğitimini tamamlayan Türk mühendisler, ülkemizin nükleer altyapısının ve endüstrisinin oluşmasında kilit rol oynayacak.

Eğitimlerin devam ettiği bu özel programı başarıyla tamamlayarak Akkuyu NGS’de çalışmaya başlayan Türk… pic.twitter.com/apErVivOZ2

— Alparslan Bayraktar (@aBayraktar1) December 17, 2024

He further highlighted that this mega-project, along with Türkiye's nuclear energy experts, represents a strategic step towards the country's energy independence. 

The Akkuyu Nuclear Power Plant (NPP) is Türkiye's first nuclear power facility, under construction in the Mersin province. The project consists of four reactors, designed with Russian VVER-1200 reactor of third generation, each with a capacity of 1,200 MW. 

The Akkuyu NPP, currently under construction by Rosatom, is Türkiye’s first nuclear power plant and consists of four units featuring Russian-designed VVER generation 3+ reactors, each with a capacity of 1,200 MW. This project is notable as the first in the global nuclear sector to be implemented under a build-own-operate (BOO) model. 

Strategic cooperation between Russia and Türkiye in the nuclear sector began with the Akkuyu project in Mersin, formalized in 2010. This initiative is Türkiye's first fully BOO project, and the Akkuyu plant is expected to reach full capacity by 2026. The first unit began loading nuclear fuel in April 2023. Türkiye views the expansion of nuclear power as a means to bolster its energy security and reduce reliance on hydrocarbon imports. 

Discussions for a second nuclear power plant at the Sinop site have been ongoing for years, with Sinop identified as a key candidate for development. In 2013, Türkiye reached an agreement with Japanese and French companies for the Sinop project, but negotiations were eventually halted due to high costs and technical challenges.

By Naila Huseynova