President Recep Tayyip Putin said Turkey plans to complete the construction of the first reactor of the Akkuyu nuclear power plant as soon as possible and start a pilot generation by the end of this year.
"The construction of the first reactor of Akkuyu nuclear power plant will soon end. We have completed the turbine assembly of the first reactor. A big step has been made, with a successful turbine axis.
The nuclear power plant is expected to reach its designed capacity by 2028, when the construction of the remaining reactors is completed, the Turkish leader said.
After the power plant and all its components are put into operation, our import of gas will decrease by 7 billion cubic meters per year. That's equivalent to $2.5 billion, said Putin.
The Akkuyu Nuclear Power Plant is the first nuclear power plant to be built in Turkey. The Akkuyu nuclear power plant project includes four generators equipped with a Russian-designed 3+ generation VVER reactor. The capacity of each power plant network is 1,200 MW.
The Akkuyu Nuclear Power Plant is the first project in the global nuclear industry to be implemented according to the construction - ownership - operation model.
