Nuclear fuel loading into the reactor of Unit 1 at Turkey's Akkuyu nuclear power plant, along with its subsequent launch, is scheduled for this fall, Rosatom CEO Alexey Likhachev said.
Rosatom plans to begin the so-called "hot test" in July - the main stage of commissioning work before the startup of Akkuyu's unit 1, Likhachev noted.
If these tests successfully confirm the reliability of the reactor's equipment and systems under design operating condition, "we will begin loading fuel and 'lifting up' the unit in the fall," the Rosatom boss pledged, RIA Novosti reported.
Turkiye's first nuclear power plant, Akkuyu, is currently under construction with Russian participation. The facility will consist of four power units featuring advanced Russian-designed VVER-1200 Generation III+ reactors, each with a capacity of 1,200 megawatts. The project is the first in the global nuclear industry to be implemented under the "build-own-operate" model.
