Turkey's Akkuyu Nuclear Plant Installs Key Mechanism for Reactor Operation: Developer

MOSCOW (Sputnik) - A polar crane has been installed at Turkey's Akkuyu nuclear power plant's Unit 1, which is being constructed in cooperation with Russia, the project's developer, Akkuyu Nuclear JSC, said.

"A polar crane was mounted in design position at Akkuyu NPP Power Unit No. 1. The mounting operation... took about four hours. The mounting of the polar crane will allow performing further work for installation of the reactor compartment internal containment dome, mounting the process equipment, and preparation for water circulation with the open reactor," the statement read.

A polar crane, also known as a circular bridge crane, is one of the most important mechanisms of the reactor compartment that will be used at all stages of the NPP's life cycle, including for the loading and unloading of nuclear fuel.

"The mounting of the polar crane is one of the key events at Unit 1. It is very important that the installation of the crane was completed in due time; this will allow us to follow the schedule for further installation operations in the reactor building," the director of the NPP under construction, Sergei Butсkikh, said.

The polar crane, which weighs about 500 tonnes, was manufactured by a machine-building enterprise in the Russian city of Syzran and delivered to the Akkuyu NPP construction site in June.

Russia and Turkey sealed an agreement on the construction of Akkuyu NPP in the Turkish southern province of Mersin in 2010. It will be the first NPP built in Turkey. Russian atomic agency Rosatom began the construction of the 4,800MW plant in 2018. The construction of the fourth and final reactor officially kicked off on August 4.

Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan has set the goal of commissioning the first Akkuyu reactor in 2023.