Russia is Building a Nuclear Power Plant Inside NATO

Summary

Turkey’s Akkuyu Nuclear Power Plant, under construction on the Mediterranean coast in Mersin province, is presented as one of the world’s largest nuclear projects. It is Turkey’s first nuclear power plant and is designed to supply about 10% of the country’s electricity.

Scale and purpose

The plant will have four reactors, each rated at 1.2 GW, for a total capacity of 4.8 GW. It is expected to produce around 35 billion kWh annually.

The project is intended to help Turkey meet growing electricity demand, diversify its energy mix, and reduce its dependence on imported energy and coal.

Ownership model

Russia’s state-owned Rosatom is financing, designing, and building the roughly $25 billion plant, as well as supplying its fuel. Under the “build, own, operate” agreement, Rosatom will also own and operate the plant. The video describes this arrangement as unprecedented for a nuclear plant.

Construction and safety features

Each reactor has inner and outer containment structures, including a steel-lined inner boundary and a reinforced-concrete exterior. The structure is topped by a dome assembled from 15 sections and lifted into place by a crawler crane.

Steam generators transfer heat to produce steam, which drives the turbines. Safety features include:

• Boric-acid tanks that can passively flood a reactor core if pressure falls.
• A core catcher beneath each reactor vessel.
• An offshore breakwater that protects seawater cooling systems and helps guard against coastal hazards.
• Reactor foundations designed to withstand earthquakes of up to magnitude 9.

Schedule and delays

The agreement was signed in 2010, but major construction began in 2018. The first reactor was expected to begin operating by the end of 2026, although the project was originally planned for completion in 2023.

Western sanctions contributed to delays. These included the withholding of a Siemens Energy gas-insulated switchgear system, which had to be replaced through a deal with a Chinese supplier.

Geopolitical debate

Turkey is a NATO member, and critics have questioned the extent of Russian control over infrastructure expected to operate for decades. According to the video, political disagreements between Turkey and Russia have not stopped the project, while sanctions and strained relations between Russia and Western countries have affected construction.

Future plans

Turkey is considering additional nuclear plants, including a proposed site on the Black Sea coast. Russia, South Korea, Canada, and China are mentioned as potential partners.

Turkey is also exploring small modular reactors, although the video says they could be decades away.

Paid promotion

The video includes a paid Incogni promotion about finding and removing personal data from data brokers. This is separate from the nuclear-project analysis.

Main speakers and sources

• The B1M narrator, presenting the project and construction details.
• Unnamed interviewees, discussing Turkey’s energy strategy and Turkish-Russian relations.
• Archival news footage, including coverage of the project’s launch by Presidents Putin and Erdoğan.
• Additional footage and images credited to AKUUYU NUCLEAR JSC, BBC News, Channel 4 News, CGTN, DW News, NPPA, and TRT World.