Rosatom to being construction of fourth unit of Akkuyu NPP in Turkey on July 21

MOSCOW. July 18 (Interfax) - Pouring of 'first concrete' for the fourth unit of the Akkuyu Nuclear Power Plant (NPP) in Turkey will be held on July 21, Yuri Ushakov, aide to the Russian president, said at a briefing ahead of Vladimir Putin's visit to Tehran, where separate negotiations with Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan will take place.

The concrete pouring ceremony traditionally symbolizes the beginning of construction.

The Akkuyu NPP is being built according to the build-own-operate (BOO) model, where the Russian side serves as owner of the foreign NPP. The plant will have four units with 3+ generation VVER-1200 water-pressurized reactors. The output of each unit will be 1,200 MW.

The first concrete was poured at the Akkuyu NPP site on April 3, 2018, marking the official launch of the plant's construction. The first power unit is scheduled to go into operation in 2023, when Turkey marks its centenary. First concrete was poured for the second unit at the end of June 2020. Construction of the third unit was launched on March 10, 2021.