Türkiye: Work at Akkuyu nuclear power plant to continue at accelerated pace

Turkish Energy and Natural Resources Minister Fatih Donmez has said that work at the Akkuyu nuclear power plant (NPP) will continue at an accelerated pace, the project schedule is mandatory.

Earlier, the Turkish company IC Ictas, with which Russia had previously terminated the contract for the construction of the Akkuyu NPP, received the contract again, and the opening ceremony of the facility was scheduled for 2023, Yeni Şafak newspaper reports.

According to the minister, an agreement on the Akkuyu nuclear power plant has been reached. He added that his department and especially President Recep Tayyip Erdogan have made intensive efforts to bring the parties closer and overcome the problems.

"After a while, the work will continue at an accelerated pace. The project schedule is mandatory for us. We have to put the first unit into operation in 2023," the minister said.

He added that the construction of the pipeline delivering the Black Sea gas to the land has largely been completed. According to Donmez, the main pipeline will be completed by the end of this month. The goal is to complete all three lines by the end of the year.