Turkey permits commissioning of second power unit at Akkuyu NPP

MOSCOW. May 7 (Interfax) - The Turkish regulator has issued a permit for commissioning work on the second power unit at the Akkuyu Nuclear Power Plant, according to Strana Rosatom, Rosatom state nuclear energy corporation's in-house publication.

"Obtaining the commissioning permit allows us to begin preparations for commissioning work on the second power unit. In parallel with construction, specialists will begin testing and adjusting the equipment," the report quoted Sergei Butskikh, CEO of Akkuyu Nuclear, the company implementing the project, as saying.

Rosatom is building Turkey's first nuclear power plant, Akkuyu, in Mersin Province. The plant will consist of four power units, each with capacity of 1200 MW.

The NPP's first unit has not yet been commissioned. Rosatom CEO Alexei Likhachev said that it "must definitely be operational by December."

As reported in January, Rosatom was already preparing to begin operation of the first power unit at the Akkuyu NPP in Turkey, conducting commissioning and a comprehensive check of all systems.