Akkuyu Nuclear Power Plant: Project Tracker

Last updated: 2026-09-29

Akkuyu Nuclear Power Plant, Turkey’s first nuclear facility, is not yet generating commercial power. As of late September 2026, construction of Unit 1 is complete and startup testing is under way, with Russia’s Rosatom targeting first grid connection before the end of 2026 and commercial operation in 2027. Units 2-4 remain under construction, with all four VVER-1200 reactors targeted to be operational by the end of 2028 (Rosatom; Interfax, 21 September 2026).

What is the project?

Akkuyu is a four-unit nuclear power plant being built on Turkey’s Mediterranean coast using Rosatom’s VVER-1200 pressurized-water reactor design — the same Generation III+ technology Rosatom has deployed at Belarus’s Ostrovets plant and at home in Russia. When complete, the plant’s four units will have a combined capacity of 4,800 MWe, which Rosatom and Turkish officials say could cover roughly 10% of Turkey’s electricity demand.

Where is it?

The plant sits near Büyükeceli, in the Gülnar district of Mersin Province, on Turkey’s southern Mediterranean coast — a site chosen in the 1970s and revived under the 2010 intergovernmental agreement between Turkey and Russia.

Who owns it? Who operates it?

Akkuyu Nuclear JSC, the project company that both owns and operates the plant under a build-own-operate (BOO) model, is controlled by Rosatom. Rosenergoatom, a Rosatom subsidiary, holds roughly 92.8% of Akkuyu Nuclear JSC directly, with the remainder held by other Rosatom-linked entities, leaving the Russian side in effective full control (Energy Intelligence; World Nuclear News). A planned sale of up to a 49% stake to a Turkish construction consortium — Cengiz Holding, Kolin İnşaat and Kalyon İnşaat — was negotiated for several years but the talks collapsed, and Akkuyu Nuclear JSC remains almost entirely Rosatom-owned as of 2026. Under the BOO structure, Akkuyu Nuclear JSC will also be the plant’s operator once units enter service.

Cost

The project was originally estimated at roughly $20-22 billion when construction began. Rosatom’s own provisional estimate, cited in a September 2026 project update, has since risen to $24-25 billion, reflecting cost inflation and schedule extensions since the 2018 groundbreaking. Estimates vary across sources and time periods, and neither Rosatom nor the Turkish government has published a single, final, audited project cost.

Capacity and technology

Four VVER-1200 reactors, each rated at approximately 1,200 MWe, for a combined 4,800 MWe. The VVER-1200 is a Generation III+ pressurized-water reactor design with a stated design life of 60 years (extendable to 80) and passive safety systems added after the Fukushima accident review.

Contractors

Financing

The project is financed almost entirely by Russian state sources rather than Turkish public funds, consistent with the BOO model. Reported financing has included a $9.1 billion loan facility from Gazprombank agreed in 2018 to fund early construction, and separate Russian government commitments of additional financing reported around 2025 tied to completing Unit 1. Public reporting on the exact financing structure is fragmented and some figures may refer to different tranches or years rather than a single running total — treat individual financing figures as reported, not as a reconciled total.

Construction timeline

1. 2010-05-12 — Intergovernmental agreement: Turkey and Russia sign the agreement establishing the build-own-operate framework for Akkuyu. (Source: Turkish-Russian intergovernmental agreement; World Nuclear Association background.)
2. 2018 — Construction license and first concrete, Unit 1: Turkey’s Nuclear Regulatory Authority (NDK) issues the construction license; first concrete for Unit 1 is poured in April 2018. (Source: World Nuclear News, NEI Magazine.)
3. 2020-06 — First concrete, Unit 2. (Source: NEI Magazine.)
4. 2021-03 — First concrete, Unit 3. (Source: NEI Magazine.)
5. 2022-07 — First concrete, Unit 4. (Source: NEI Magazine.)
6. 2023-05 — Fresh fuel delivered for Unit 1 ahead of eventual reactor loading. (Source: NEI Magazine, World Nuclear News.)
7. 2023-12-12 — Commissioning permit granted for Unit 1 by Turkey’s Nuclear Regulatory Authority (NDK), the step before an operating license and actual fuel loading. (Source: World Nuclear News, NucNet.)
8. 2026-01 — Unit 1 construction reported ~99% complete; startup-adjustment work ~65% complete. Dummy (non-nuclear) fuel assemblies loaded for testing; switchgear connected to the Turkish grid ahead of real fuel loading. (Source: Rosatom via NucNet, 21 January 2026.)
9. 2026-05 — Unit 2 precommissioning permit granted by the Turkish regulator. (Source: Engineering News project update, September 2026.)
10. 2026-08-27 — Unit 2 main coolant pipeline welding completed after 73 days of work across 32 joints, connecting the reactor, four steam generators and coolant pumps into the primary circuit. (Source: Akkuyu Nuclear JSC statement via Engineering News.)
11. 2026-09-21 — Rosatom reaffirms 2026 startup target for Unit 1; CEO Alexey Likhachev says the company still expects to obtain an operating license and begin startup operations in 2026, with commercial operation of Unit 1 in 2027. (Source: Interfax, 21 September 2026.)
12. Planned — end of 2028: All four units targeted to be in commercial operation. (Source: Rosatom/Turkish Energy Ministry statements; not yet achieved.)

Stages already achieved are dated and sourced above; the 2026 startup date for Unit 1 and the 2028 full-plant target are announced goals, not completed milestones, and both have slipped from earlier targets (Unit 1 was originally expected in 2023).

Current status (September 2026)

Unit 1’s civil construction is finished and the unit is in the startup-and-adjustment phase: cold hydraulic testing has been completed, dummy fuel assemblies are loaded, and the plant’s switchgear has been connected to the Turkish grid for testing purposes. Actual nuclear fuel loading still requires an operating license, which Rosatom expects to receive in 2026. Unit 2 is in earlier-stage commissioning work (precommissioning permit granted, primary-circuit piping welded); Units 3 and 4 remain under construction. No unit has yet loaded nuclear fuel, reached criticality, or connected to the grid as a generating source.

Latest developments

• 2026-09-21: Rosatom CEO Alexey Likhachev tells reporters the company is “one step away” from Unit 1’s physical launch and still targets an operating license and startup operations within 2026 (Interfax).
• 2026-08-27: Akkuyu Nuclear JSC confirms completion of Unit 2’s main coolant pipeline welding, a prerequisite for that unit’s own commissioning sequence (Engineering News).
• 2026-09-11 to 09-24: Separately, drone attacks shut Saudi Arabia’s East-West oil pipeline and the Strait of Hormuz has remained effectively closed to normal shipping for months — a reminder of why Turkey and other importers are pursuing domestic generation sources such as Akkuyu alongside diversified gas supply. See Strait of Hormuz oil flows.

Related companies and country profile

Akkuyu is Turkey’s first nuclear power project and its most advanced move toward diversifying an electricity and energy-import mix that is otherwise heavily dependent on imported natural gas and oil. For the supply side of that picture, see Who Supplies Turkiye With Natural Gas?, which tracks Turkey’s gas import mix including Russian, Azerbaijani and domestic Sakarya Field volumes. Turkey has also separately agreed with the United States to study smaller, next-generation reactor designs as a second track alongside Akkuyu; see Turkey and US Agree to Study Nine Small Modular and Next-Gen Reactor Designs. For the wider context of new reactors reaching key construction milestones elsewhere this year, see China’s Tianwan 7 Reactor Reaches Minimum Controllable Power Level and NRC Completes Environmental Review for Three Mile Island Unit 1 Restart.

Frequently asked questions

When will Akkuyu nuclear power plant start operating?

No unit is generating commercial power yet. Rosatom’s stated target, reaffirmed on 21 September 2026, is to obtain an operating license and begin Unit 1 startup operations within 2026, with commercial operation following in 2027. Units 2-4 are targeted for completion by the end of 2028, though Unit 1 alone has already slipped from an original 2023 target, so further delay is possible.

Who owns Akkuyu nuclear power plant?

Akkuyu Nuclear JSC owns and will operate the plant. Rosatom, Russia’s state nuclear corporation, controls Akkuyu Nuclear JSC through its subsidiary Rosenergoatom (about 92.8% direct ownership) and other Rosatom-linked entities; a planned sale of up to 49% to a Turkish construction consortium did not go through.

How much does Akkuyu nuclear power plant cost?

Rosatom’s own provisional estimate as of September 2026 is $24-25 billion, up from an original estimate of roughly $20-22 billion when construction began in 2018. No single, final audited cost figure has been published.

How much electricity will Akkuyu produce?

At full build-out, the plant’s four VVER-1200 units will have 4,800 MWe of combined capacity, which Rosatom and Turkish officials say could supply approximately 10% of Turkey’s electricity needs. That figure is a stated target for the completed plant, not current output, since no unit is yet generating power commercially.

Is Akkuyu the only nuclear power plant in Turkey?

Yes, as of September 2026 Akkuyu is Turkey’s only nuclear power project under construction. Turkey has separately signed an agreement with the United States to study smaller modular and next-generation reactor designs for possible future projects, but no second full-scale plant is under construction.

Sources

• World Nuclear News, “Akkuyu unit 1 gets commissioning permit,” December 2023
• NEI Magazine, Akkuyu construction and fuel-delivery reporting, 2018-2024
• NucNet, “Turkey’s Akkuyu Unit 1 Plant Construction ‘99% Complete’ As Rosatom Eyes First Energy This Year,” 21 January 2026
• Interfax, Rosatom/Akkuyu status report, 21 September 2026
• Engineering News, “Akkuyu nuclear power plant project, Türkiye — update,” 4 September 2026
• Energy Intelligence, Akkuyu ownership and Turkish-consortium stake-sale reporting
• Atommedia (Rosatom press office), Akkuyu site visit press release, January 2026

Illustrative image. Photo: Rosatom Digital Press Office/АО «Аккую Нуклеар», CC BY 4.0, via Wikimedia Commons — source