Türkiye's former Akkuyu NPP contractor to return to project

The ex-contractor for the construction of the Akkuyu NPP in Türkiye — IC Içtaş Inşaat Sanayi ve Ticaret A.Ş. — will return to work at the plant and will deal with all units except the first one.

Akkuyu Nuclear (the project company, Rosatom owns 99.2 per cent) made the announcement, RBC reports.

The general contractor for the first power unit and all related buildings will remain TSM Enerji Insaat Sanayi Limited Sirketi, with which the Rosatom structure signed a contract after the termination of the contract with IC Içtaş.  In turn, IC Içtaş, within the framework of a joint venture with the Russian holding "Titan-2", will be engaged in the construction of the second, third and fourth power units.

The cooperation agreement between Titan-2 (part of Rosatom) and IC Içtas Inşaat Sanayi ve Ticaret A.Ş. was concluded in 2019. In the same year, the EPC contract of the joint company with the customer of the work, Akkuyu Nuclear, was signed.

At the end of July, it became known that Akkuyu Nuclear had ceased cooperation with IC Içtas Inşaat Sanayi ve Ticaret A.Ş. The reason for the termination of cooperation was not revealed.

The Turkish contractor called the actions of the Russian side illegal. "The customer of the project Akkuyu Nükleer A.Ş. by a letter sent on July 26, 2022, terminated the contract between the parties unfairly, the status of the general contractor Tıtan-2 IC Içtaş Inşaat A.Ş. in the project was terminated unlawfully," said the July statement of IC Içtas Inşaat Sanayi ve Ticaret A.Ş., obtained by RBC.

Akkuyu NPP is being built on the southern coast of Türkiye in Mersin province. This is the first nuclear power plant being constructed in the republic. The agreement between Russia and Türkiye was signed in May 2010. The project provides for the construction of four power units with VVER reactors and is implemented according to the build—own—operate model. The capacity of each NPP power unit will be 1200 MW. Construction of the fourth power unit began on July 21.