Nuclear Power is a Critical Component of Sustainable Development
Low-Carbon Energy for Sustainable Growth
Nuclear power plants are a stable source of generation producing electric power daily, regardless of the season, weather and other external conditions for at least 60 years. The Akkuyu NPP commissioning will ensure adding a significant amount of stable electrical power to the country’s energy mix – 35 billion kWh annually. This amount is sufficient to provide about 90% of electricity for such a large city as Istanbul. The most powerful and multipath power output system in Türkiye is being created – the total length of Akkuyu NPP high-voltage power output lines will exceed 1,000 km.
Reducing Carbon Footprint
At the end of 2019, the volume of greenhouse gas emissions in Türkiye was estimated at 506.1 million tons of CO2 equivalent. The Akkuyu NPP operation will prevent an average of 18 million tons of CO2 equivalent* emissions owing to replacement of generation by other generation sources (hydrocarbon).
Social and Economic Effects of the Akkuyu Project
The Akkuyu NPP project is one of the largest foreign investments in Türkiye. The expected contribution of the project to Türkiye's GDP over the entire NPP life cycle will amount to tens of billions of US dollars.
The NPP project promotes investment potential of the project area’s economy, new opportunities for development of the local business and respective increase in tax payments.
Localization
Localization, that is involvement of local manufacturers and service providers in the Akkuyu NPP project, creates a multifactorial positive effect for the local economy and for Türkiye as a whole, fosters development of local industries and new skills and competencies, creates demand for engineering and other technical occupations. As of the end of 2021, over 400 Turkish companies are included in the project suppliers list regularly updated by the Ministry of Energy and Natural Resources of Türkiye and AKKUYU NUCLEAR JSC.
For overall coordination of the Akkuyu NPP localization activities, there is a Localization Workgroup established in 2019 that involves representatives of REIN JSC, AKKUYU NUCLEAR JSC, TİTAN2 IC İÇTAŞ İNŞAAT ANONİM ŞİRKETİ and other project stakeholders. The Workgroup interacts with the Ministry of Energy and Natural Resources of Türkiye and Turkish Standards Institution.
The Regulation on localization of materials supplies during the construction of the Akkuyu NPP facilities has been adopted and brought into effect at AKKUYU NUCLEAR JSC. The content is added to the Localised Products Catalogue.
In 2020, a roadmap for localization of supplies for the Akkuyu NPP project was made presenting the range of localized products and services, the estimated cost and scopes of localized supplies. TİTAN2 IC İÇTAŞ İNŞAAT ANONİM ŞİRKETİ Joint Venture – the project general contractor - opened an office for the equipment supplies localization in Istanbul.
Safety is the key priority for the AKKUYU NPP project
Social Responsibility
AKKUYU NUCLEAR JSC offers equal employment and career opportunities to all candidates and employees, regardless of their gender, age or nationality. All AKKUYU NUCLEAR JSC employees, both Russian and Turkish, have equal conditions: a transparent remuneration system and employment benefits.
Occupational Health and Safety
AKKUYU NUCLEAR JSC has the Occupational Health and Safety Policy approved in 2018 that applies to the company's employees, contractors and subcontractors, visitors to the project facilities and persons monitoring work progress, business travellers and those arriving for industrial training or practice.
One of the company's objectives in terms of occupational safety is the continuous improvement of the occupational safety management system through the development and updating of local regulations in the field of occupational safety, division of employees’ rights and obligations for complying with occupational safety requirements, including improving the safety culture, educational and professional level of employees in the field of occupational safety.
Equal opportunities
The construction, being the core area of the AKKUYU NUCLEAR JSC activities, is traditionally perceived as male-dominated. Despite this, over 29% of employees are women, including 21% of the management positions and the top management of company.
Developing infrastructure and generating new jobs will lay the groundwork for the population growth in the area up to 30 thousand people. The growth of the solvent, economically active population in the region expands the market for goods and services of local manufacturers, creates opportunities for increasing the number of jobs, incentives for the development of infrastructure, hotel business, food services and service sector. Involving Turkish staff is an important aspect of the project. As of the end of 2023,
With the company’s financial support, a new canteen for students was built in the school of Buyukeceli village – the residential area closest to the Akkuyu NPP construction site.
In the midst of the COVID-19 pandemic in 2020, AKKUYU NUCLEAR JSC allocated the total of 140 thousand Turkish liras to support the Silifke State Hospital and the Buyukeceli Family Medical Centre, the medical staff of which provided invaluable assistance to the Akkuyu NPP project in order to prevent and mitigate epidemiological risks.
Implementing the project for construction of the Türkiye’s first nuclear power plant, AKKUYU NUCLEAR JSC and Rosatom also promote Turkish national education systems through:
interuniversity cooperation between Russia and Türkiye with the prospect of having joint educational programmes and awarding double degrees. Double degree programmes are currently being developed with the involvement of leading Russian industry-specific universities – National Research Nuclear University MEPhI, Peter the Great St. Petersburg Polytechnic University – as well as Istanbul Technical University and Hacettepe University;
strengthening secondary vocational education programmes
to prepare and engage Turkish technical school graduates in the Akkuyu NPP construction. Assisted by the Ministry of National Education of the Republic of Türkiye and teachers of industry-specific departments in Turkish universities, AKKUYU NUCLEAR JSC has developed a textbook for the “Introduction to Nuclear Energy” course. This course was approved by the Education and Discipline Council of the Ministry of National Education and starting from the 2021/2022 academic year added to the programme of seven vocational lyceums in Mersin.
Russian universities will have at least 600 Turkish young nuclear experts trained by 2027. After graduation, Turkish students studying at Russian industry-specific universities are employed by AKKUYU NUCLEAR JSC.