MERSIN /Turkey/, April 27. /TASS/. The official ceremony marking the delivery of the first batch of nuclear fuel to Unit 1 of the Akkuyu NPP (Nuclear Power Plant) will take place on Thursday at the plant that Rosatom is building in Turkey. The fuel delivery means the plant is on the cusp of going nuclear.

It is planned that the head of the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) Rafael Grossi and Rosatom Chief Executive Officer Alexey Likhachev will participate in the ceremony. The press service of the Kremlin said earlier that the Russian president planned to take part in a videoconference ceremony.

Deputy chair of the ruling party Erkan Kandemir said late on Wednesday that Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan would participate in the ceremony by video link. Later, the information was confirmed by the head of the country’s energy ministry. Earlier on Wednesday, Erdogan said he cancelled his public events on the day on advice from his doctors.

Akkuyu is Turkey’s first nuclear power plant. It was constructed as part of an agreement between the governments of Russia and Turkey signed on May 12, 2010. Russia’s state corporation Rosatom holds a majority stake in Akkuyu Nuclear, the company responsible for designing, building, maintaining, operating and decommissioning the plant.