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Limited authorization for Akkuyu NPP construction in Turkey may be issued by summer 2017

Akkuyu NPP may be built by 2023 as planned if the Turkish party issues all the permits in due time

MOSCOW, March 9. /TASS/. Limited authorization for construction of Akkuyu Nuclear Power Plant (NPP) in Turkey is expected to be received this summer and the main license is likely to be granted in 2018, Chief Executive Officer of Rusatom Energy International [REIN, subsidiary of Rosatom nuclear corporation and main shareholder of Akkuyu NPP project vehicle - TASS] Anastasia Zoteeva told TASS on Thursday.

"It takes more than a year to review documents and therefore the main construction license is expected to be granted in 2018. At the same time, submission of documents makes possible for the Turkish party to issue a limited construction authorization already by summer 2017. Receipt of the limited authorization will enable starting construction of the so-called ‘non-nuclear’ part of the plant, for example, the turbine island, along with auxiliary buildings and structures. We expect Turkish partners will review documents as soon as practicable," Zoteeva said.

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"It takes more than a year to review documents and therefore the main construction license is expected to be granted in 2018. At the same time, submission of documents makes possible for the Turkish party to issue a limited construction authorization already by summer 2017. Receipt of the limited authorization will enable starting construction of the so-called ‘non-nuclear’ part of the plant, for example, the turbine island, along with auxiliary buildings and structures. We expect Turkish partners will review documents as soon as practicable," Zoteeva said.

Akkuyu NPP may be built by 2023 as planned if the Turkish party timely issues all the permits, Russian Energy Minister Alexander Novak said earlier today in the interview with Anadolu news agency.

"If all the permits from the Turkish side are received, the NPP may be built by 2023, when Turkey will celebrate the centennial from the Republic creation day," Novak said.

The intergovernmental Russian-Turkish agreement on construction of the Akkuyu nuclear power plant was signed on May 12, 2010. This project includes construction of four power units (VVER-1200) with a capacity of 1.2 GW each in accordance with the Russian project "NPP-2006".

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