Turkey will witness tomorrow, Thursday, the delivery of the first batch of nuclear fuel for the experimental operation of its first nuclear reactor, which was inaugurated in cooperation with Russia and is scheduled to be operated as one of four reactors in the first half of this year. Local media outlets quoted Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov as saying on Wednesday that President Vladimir Putin plans to participate in the event remotely via a video link.

Simultaneously, presidential spokesman Ibrahim Kalin also said that President Recep Tayyip Erdogan is expected to speak over the phone with his Russian counterpart Vladimir Putin "before the (fuel delivery) ceremony at the Akkuyu nuclear power plant." He added that the two presidents plan to discuss the situation in Ukraine as well as bilateral relations. Observers interpreted this as Erdogan, due to his health conditions and based on his doctors' advice to rest, may not be able to attend the celebration at the reactor site in the Mediterranean coastal city of Mersin, where the reactor designed and built by the Russian state-owned Rosatom Corporation is located. Erdogan will participate via video conference.

The Reactor is in the Safest Earthquake Zone

According to Rosatom, the Akkuyu site is located in the safest earthquake zone. The plant's design includes an outer wall made of reinforced concrete and an inner protective cover made of "pre-stressed concrete," with metal cables extending within the concrete shell for added structural strength. The modern reactor design includes an additional safety feature - a 144-ton steel cone called the "core catcher" that traps and cools any molten radioactive materials in emergencies, confirming that the power units equipped with VVER-1200 reactors comply with the International Atomic Energy Agency's post-Fukushima requirements.

According to government figures, if the power plant started operating today, it could alone provide enough electricity for a city with a population of around 15 million, such as Istanbul. The nuclear complex, with an estimated operational life of 60 years and a possible 20-year extension, will generate round-the-clock carbon-free energy, and the project cost is estimated at about $20 billion, making it the largest investment in Turkey's history implemented at a single site.

Ebrahim Kalin

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