Rosatom Targets 2026 Start-Up for Akkuyu Unit 1 in Turkey

Overview

• Rosatom chief Alexey Likhachev told TASS the physical start-up and power delivery of the first unit are planned for 2026, saying the company is aiming for next year.
• Likhachev said the project suffered the most severe effects of restrictions, citing broken payment channels and Siemens declining to deliver already paid-for equipment.
• He noted about $2 billion remains frozen, prompting the search for additional funding sources and new mechanisms to get money to the site and Turkish suppliers.
• Rosatom says it has been substituting equipment on the fly with Russian solutions and supplies from friendly countries to keep construction progressing.
• Akkuyu is Turkey’s first nuclear plant built under a build‑own‑operate model with four VVER‑3+ units rated at 1,200 MW each, and Turkey’s energy minister earlier also pointed to a 2026 start for the first reactor.