AKKUYU NUCLEAR JSC held an Open Doors Day of the Akkuyu NPP construction site. Due to coronavirus-related restrictions, the event was held in an online format, which is unique for nuclear power plant construction projects. Residents of Silifke, Erdemli and Gulnar, which are the settlements closest to the Akkuyu NPP construction site, took part in the event via video conference. More than 600 residents from many other Turkish cities, including Mersin, Ankara and Istanbul, watched the live online broadcast of the event. The broadcast was hosted by Oylum Talu, a well-known Turkish TV presenter.
AKKUYU NUCLEAR JSC CEO Anastasia Zoteeva gave a welcome speech to kick-start the event. “I am happy to open the gates of the Akkuyu NPP to everyone who is interested in learning about the construction of Turkey's first nuclear power plant. This is one of the largest construction projects in the world. Four units are being constructed simultaneously, which is unprecedented.
“Our nuclear power plant is safe, reliable and modern. It's being built by both Russian nuclear specialists, who have more than 75 years of experience in constructing such plants, and highly professional Turkish builders. Over 13,000 people are currently employed here, with more than 80% of them being Turkish citizens. It’s really important to us that people feel involved in this project, particularly those who live nearby. Everything we do is for people. By improving the region’s welfare and securing the future of our children and grandchildren, the next generation of Turkish people will have a reliable, safe and clean supply of electricity for many years to come.”
During the event, two Turkish nuclear engineers – Ozlem Arslan, a leading specialist of the NPP safety inspection department and Ahmet Yasin Oner, a specialist of the electrical workshop – both of whom have obtained specialised training in Russia and have been working at the NPP for several years, conducted a virtual tour of the site. They demonstrated the unprecedented scale of the construction works, spoke in detail about the site’s features, including safety and environmental measures that have been taken, and shared their knowledge about how the nuclear power plant operates.
Participants were able to see the construction process of each of the four NPP units, the Eastern Sea Cargo Terminal, which serves as the project’s primary transportation and delivery hub and the construction base, where four concrete batching plants operate with a daily capacity of up to 3,000 cubic metres of concrete. The audience also saw the site where reinforced blocks are pre-assembled and heavy equipment is stored, and where all the main types of reinforcing products and metal structures required to build the walls and floors of the nuclear power plant’s buildings are produced.
The broadcast highlighted the unique facilities and innovative construction processes being used at the NPP. For instance, the viewers were able to see the construction of the offshore hydraulic engineering structures, where the foundation and the underground part of the pumping stations are being built. These are important components of the onshore hydraulic engineering structures system. The guides spoke in detail about how water will circulate to cool the plant and what will happen to seawater after it has been used.
In addition to the site tour, there was a live feed from the National Research Nuclear University MEPhI (Moscow Engineering Physics Institute) during the online broadcast. Turkish students, who are now in their final year of study, eagerly shared their impressions about the exciting and engaging educational process in one of the best Russian universities.
AKKUYU NUCLEAR JSC Director for Construction and Production Organisation Denis Sezemin answered the audience’s questions in the studio. He spoke about the construction status of Turkey's first nuclear power plant, employment, safety and the environmental credentials of the NPP. Those whose questions were selected during the broadcast will be awarded with souvenirs from AKKUYU NUCLEAR JSC.