NEWS |
round up
PLANT OPERATION CANADA’S BRUCE POWER has signed a 10-year extension to a Master Service Agreement (MSA) with Kinectrics to support continued operations, Life- Extension Programme and the production of medical isotopes. The long-term collaboration deal is estimated at CAD2.5bn ($3.2bn) over the term of the agreement.
SWISS ENERGY UTILITY Axpo Holdings plans to continue operating unit 2 of the Beznau NPP until 2032 and unit 1 until 2033 and will invest CHF350m ($395m) to this end. They will then be decommissioned and shut down. Beznau (KKB), the oldest in Switzerland, consists of two 365 MWe Westinghouse pressurised water reactors. KKB 1 began commercial operation in 1969 and KKB 2 in 1972.
DIGITAL
US-BASED NUCLEAR start-up NANO Nuclear Energy has signed a memorandum of understanding with Digihost Technology to advance the transition to carbon-free energy at Digihost’s 60 MWe upstate New York power plant. The collaboration leverages NANO Nuclear’s reactor technologies, currently in development, to supply energy for Digihost’s AI-driven data centres.
THE UK NUCLEAR Decommissioning Authority group has launched a specialised cyber facility. The aim is to accelerate collaboration across nuclear operators and the supply chain, on the adoption of innovative technologies such as AI and robotics and enhancing their collective ability to successfully defend against cyber threats.
POLICY BWXT CANADA LTD has signed a memorandum of understanding with Westinghouse Electric Company to support nuclear newbuild projects in Canada and globally. Under the agreement, BWXT has the potential to manufacture key reactor components, including steam generators, reactor vessels, pressure vessels and heat exchangers for Westinghouse AP1000 and AP300 designs.
IRAN HAS CONFIRMED that it has allowed the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) to increase the number of inspections it carries out on Tehran’s nuclear programme. “We have increased capacity — naturally, the number of inspections should also increase,” Atomic Energy Organisation of Iran head Mohammad Eslami said, adding that “changing the scale will naturally change the monitoring level”.
Turbine installed at Akkuyu unit 1
Above: Four VVER-1200 reactors are being built at the Akkuyu site in Türkiye
The steam turbine has been installed at unit 1 of the Akkuyu NPP under construction in Türkiye. Sergei Butskikh, Director General of project
company Akkuyu Nukleer, reported on the main stages speaking in detail about the commissioning work, the degree of readiness of auxiliary facilities, the main construction and installation operations at unit 1, as well as plans for the coming year. According to Butskikh, 2024 saw a number
of key operations completed, primarily the beginning of full-scale commissioning. All the main equipment of the reactor unit has been installed in the reactor compartment, preparations are underway for pre-launch tests with loading of nuclear fuel simulators. For the turbine assembly, a set of sequential operations was successfully carried out, which culminated in setting the turbine unit on a rotary device. The turbine shaft began to rotate at low speeds. Successful operation demonstrated the high technical readiness of the turbine and auxiliary systems for the next key stage of the unit commissioning – cold and hot testing of the reactor unit. An event to mark the turbine installation was
also witnessed by Turkish Minister of Energy & Natural Resources, Alparslan Bayraktar, and the Rosatom Director General Alexei Likhachev. Likhachev noted that 2024 was a year of
not only serious challenges, but also great achievements for Akkuyu 1. “Today we have witnessed one of the key events on the turbine installation site. This is a necessary step on the long road to the launch of the power unit. We will continue to make every effort to ensure that the unit is launched in the near future,” he said. Akkuyu, Türkiye’s first NPP, will eventually
host four Russian-designed VVER-1200 reactors. The pouring of first concrete for unit 1 took place in April 2018, for unit 2 in June 2020, for unit 3 in March 2021, and for unit 4 in July 2022. Rosatom is constructing the reactors under a build-own-operate model. Unit 1 is expected to begin operation in 2025. In July Akkuyu noted that some 70% of unit 1 equipment and systems had been commissioned.
6 | January 2025 |
www.neimagazine.com
During the ceremony marking the launch of the turbine, both Likhachev and Turkish Energy Minister Alparslan Bayraktar referred to problems caused by the failure of Germany’s Siemens to deliver key equipment for the NPP, noting that they had nonetheless been overcome. Likhachev recalled that, in September, officials had reported that the launch of Akkuyu 1 had been delayed by several months after Siemens Energy withheld delivery of some critical equipment for a gas-insulated substation that transmits power from the plant to the grid, despite already having produced it. Türkiye appealed to Germany, but the
problem remained unresolved, prompting Rosatom to place an alternative order with China to keep construction of the plant on schedule. “When we realised we were having an issue with Siemens, we reached out to our Chinese friends, and they extended a helping hand. Chinese specialists came and installed more than half of the equipment,” Likhachev said. “We are now closing the gap that our German suppliers have forced upon us. By working with Turkish specialists and our Chinese partners, I believe we will shorten the installation time of our gas-insulated substation.” Siemens Energy gave no official reason for withholding the parts, but Turkish Minister Bayraktar said Türkiye understands that it could be related to sanctions on Moscow. Officials have said Türkiye may consider fines against Siemens Energy over the cancellation, even though it has worked with the German company for years. Türkiye now plans to launch trial operation of the first reactor this year, Bayraktar said. It had initially planned to start up in 2023. The remaining three reactors are expected to come online by the end of 2028. Likhachev highlighted significant progress made in the Akkuyu NPP project with the testing and fine-tuning of the turbine. “If we were to compare a nuclear plant to the human body, the turbine, which represents the muscles, has been tested and is now ready to supply electricity to the grid. Now, we are waiting for steam from the nuclear reactor, which will be the plant’s heart,” he added. At unit 2, large pieces of equipment have been installed, and the next phase will see installation of security systems. “This year, we will also begin assembling the reactor pressure vessel at unit 3, marking a significant step toward completing the plant’s heart.” He gave assurances that the construction of unit 4 will proceed according to schedule to meet the target set in intergovernmental agreements, with the Turkish government setting the goal of completing it by 2028. ■
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