The 282-tonne bridge is part of the polar crane, a circular overhead crane which is mounted under the reactor building’s inner containment dome. Its circular design means that it can transport heavy items within the reactor building.
(Image: Akkuyu Nuclear)
It will be used for handling large equipment, reactor plant maintenance, and fuel reloading. The total weight of the crane, when all parts are included, is approximately 500 tonnes.
The crane’s trolley moves along the bridge, and the crane itself rotates along a circular rail above the reactor shaft (Image: Akkuyu Nuclear)
Sergei Butckikh, Akkuyu Nuclear CEO, said: “Alongside the pre-commissioning operations at unit 1, construction, thermal and mechanical equipment installation works are being intensively carried out at the other Akkuyu NPP Units. Recently, the builders have completed the concreting of the fifth tier of the inner containment. The operation took about six hours, and 240 cubic metres of self-sealing concrete were laid continuously. After the structure acquired strength, we installed the polar crane bridge metal structures.”
Akkuyu Nuclear added: “The installation of the polar crane structures and the further installation of the safety system tanks using the Open Top method will provide for preparations for the installation of the inner containment dome of Akkuyu NPP Unit 2 reactor compartment.”
Background
Akkuyu, in the southern Mersin province, is Turkey’s first nuclear power plant. Rosatom is building four VVER-1200 reactors, under a so-called BOO (build-own-operate) model. According to the terms of the 2010 Intergovernmental Agreement between the Russian Federation and the Republic of Turkey, the commissioning of the first power unit of the nuclear power plant must take place within seven years from receipt of all permits for the construction of the unit.
The licence for the construction of the first unit was issued in 2018, with construction work beginning that year. Nuclear fuel was delivered to the site in April 2023. Turkey’s Nuclear Regulatory Agency issued permission for the first unit to be commissioned in December 2023. The aim is for unit 1 to begin supplying Turkey’s energy system during 2026. When the 4,800 MWe plant is completed, it is expected to meet about 10% of Turkey’s electricity needs. All four units are under construction – first concrete for the fourth unit was poured in July 2022.
