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Akkuyu 1, the first unit of Turkey's inaugural nuclear power plant, has successfully concluded cold hydraulic tests. These tests involved increasing the primary circuit pressure to 24.5 MPa, approximately 1.5 times the normal operating pressure, with water temperatures reaching 135°C. Specialists verified that all equipment met design specifications and international safety standards. The automated process control system (APCS) was operational during these tests, allowing personnel to monitor equipment and pipeline conditions from the control room.

The cold hydraulic tests, which commenced in June after dummy fuel loading, are designed to confirm the proper installation and operational readiness of safety-critical components and systems in a cold state. A primary objective is to verify the leak-tightness of the primary circuit and its components, as well as to clean the main circulation pipes. This phase marks the initial operation of the reactor systems in conjunction with auxiliary systems. Following these, hot functional tests will be conducted to ensure equipment and systems are prepared for operational conditions, including checking the four main circulation pumps at temperatures of at least 260°C. Both cold and hot tests precede the loading of nuclear fuel during the commissioning process.

Alexey Likhachev, Director General of Rosatom, stated that the successful completion of hydraulic testing confirms the quality of installation, welding, and commissioning work, marking another step toward the unit's physical startup. He emphasized the critical importance of the primary circuit's reliability for the entire unit's safe operation, noting the stringent technological requirements for its equipment, pipelines, and welded joints.

Project Background and Future Plans

The Akkuyu plant, located in the southern Mersin province, is being constructed by Russia's state nuclear corporation Rosatom under a build-own-operate (BOO) model. The project involves four VVER-1200 reactors. An intergovernmental agreement from 2010 stipulated that the first unit would be commissioned within seven years of receiving all construction permits. The construction license for Unit 1 was issued in 2018, with work beginning the same year. Nuclear fuel was delivered to the site in April 2023. The objective is for Unit 1 to commence supplying electricity to Turkey's energy grid by the end of 2026. Once fully operational, the 4,800 MWe plant is projected to fulfill approximately 10% of Turkey's electricity demand.

Beyond Akkuyu, Turkey is pursuing plans for a second nuclear power plant in Sinop and has engaged in discussions with China regarding a third plant in the Thrace region. The country is also developing strategies for small modular reactors (SMRs), aiming to add 5 GWe of SMR capacity by 2050, which would equate to at least 16 individual SMR units.

Terrestrial Energy has submitted a Topical Report to the US Nuclear Regulatory Commission (NRC) regarding its Integrated Molten Salt Reactor (IMSR) plant. The report asks the NRC to confirm that the construction of the Thermal and Electric Facility (TEF) component of the IMSR plant does not fall under "nuclear construction" regulations in the United States.

The IMSR is a Generation IV reactor designed to use molten salt as both fuel and coolant, with integrated components capable of supplying heat directly to industrial facilities or generating electrical power. The plant design separates into two parts: the Nuclear Facility, which contains standardized nuclear systems, and the TEF, which includes non-nuclear heat transfer, steam supply, and electric systems for commercial power generation and thermal energy supply.

Terrestrial Energy states that its submission demonstrates that the plant's nuclear systems do not rely on the TEF for safe operation and that any failure originating in the TEF is isolated from the nuclear systems. The report incorporates elements of the company's Postulated Initiating Events methodology, which the NRC has already approved.

Regulatory and Financial Implications

NRC approval of the TEF Topical Report would allow the TEF, which can be customized for each site, to be built and operated using an auxiliary heat source, such as natural gas, as a bridge to nuclear power. This could occur before a nuclear construction permit and operating license are granted for the nuclear portion of the plant.

According to Simon Irish, CEO of Terrestrial Energy, this submission could alter how an IMSR Plant is regulated, built, and financed. He noted that with NRC approval, only the nuclear portion of the plant would follow the nuclear licensing timeline, while the rest would become a conventional industrial project. This approach could provide customers with earlier power and heat and offer financing partners a bankable construction phase, representing a fleet-wide advantage for IMSR Plants.

Terrestrial Energy is developing a pipeline of IMSR Plant projects, including a planned facility at the Texas A&M-RELLIS site in Bryan, Texas. In September, the company was selected as the supplier of advanced nuclear plant technology for Ameresco Inc.'s power plant project at the US Army's Aberdeen Proving Ground in Maryland.

The NRC has been engaged in pre-application activities with Terrestrial Energy for the IMSR since 2019. This is the third of at least five Topical Reports the company plans to submit to the regulator during 2026.