Akkuyu Nuclear Power Plant is a nuclear power plant under construction at Akkuyu, in Büyükeceli, Mersin Province, Turkey. It will be the country’s first nuclear power plant.

The four 1,200 MW VVER +3 units, with a total capacity of 4800 MW, is the world’s first nuclear power plant project implemented on BOO (build-own-operate) principles by a subsidiary of Rosatom – Akkuyu NGS Elektrik Uretim AS (Akkuyu Project Company).

Major construction of the first unit started in March 2018, and it is expected to become operational in 2023.

Construction of the second unit started 2 years later and is anticipated to be completed by 2024, with Unit 3, and 4 to follow in 2025 and 2026, respectively.

Dextra provided more than 700,000 Fortec+ couplers and lock nuts to date, along with bar end preparation equipment, for the use at all 4 reactors and ancillary areas.

Fortec+ is a parallel threaded mechanical splicing system designed especially for nuclear projects for the connection of concrete reinforcing bars from Ø12 to 50 mm (ASTM #4 to #18), in compliance with Eurocode 2, ASME Sec III Div 2.

With the addition of a lock nut, it was fully engaged onto the extended thread of the connecting bar and help eliminate the residual deformation of the splice.

10 sets of bar end preparation system machines were also delivered at the site. The bar end preparation can be achieved in 3 steps: cutting the end of the rebar, cold forging to enlarge the sawn end of the rebar, and threading.

Fortec+ system adds a fourth step, consisting in a quality testing at the end of the rebar preparation process. The threaded bar end is tensile tested at 90% of the rebar yield strength to guarantee its performance.

Photo credit: https://www.dailysabah.com/business/energy/construction-starts-on-2nd-unit-of-turkeys-1st-nuclear-power-plant-akkuyu?gallery_image=undefined# big (by Energya and Natural Resources Ministry)