The final welding of the reactor pressure vessel for the first unit of Turkey's Akkuyu Nuclear Power Plant (NPP) has been completed, the reactor's manufacturer Atomenergomash announced on Wednesday.
Atommash, the Volgodonsk branch of AEM-technology, which operates alongside Russian State Atomic Energy Corporation Rosatom's machine-building division of Atomenergomash, completed a key manufacturing stage of Turkey's first nuclear plant's equipment with the closure welding of the reactor pressure vessel, according to the statement.
Specialists carried out the welding, over a 10-day period, using heat ranging from 150 to 300 degrees to connect the upper and lower semi-vessels, the company confirmed.
'Following the welding operations, the reactor pressure vessel weighing 320 tons was placed in a furnace using a crane, where the product will be heat treated for two days. Then, specialists will conduct a full range of control operations of the weld, including a radiographic test,' the statement read.
An intergovernmental agreement was signed between Turkey and Russia in May 2010 for the Akkuyu NPP that will consist of four VVER-1200 power units with a total installed capacity of 4,800 megawatts.
Turkey's President Recep Tayyip Erdogan and his Russian counterpart Vladimir Putin presided over the plant's groundbreaking ceremony held on April 3, 2018, via a video conference call from Ankara.
The first reactor of the plant is planned to be operational in 2023.
By Firdevs Yuksel
Anadolu Agency
energy@aa.com.tr