The fifth layer of the inner containment shell was installed at the Akkuyu NGS Unit 1

Oct 01, 2026

At the Akkuyu NPP’s 1st power unit’s reactor compartment—one of the main components of the safety system that protects the reactor building and serves as a support for the polar crane entrances used during the operation of the nuclear reactor—the fifth layer of the inner containment shell (ICS) has been installed.

The IPC consists of steel plates and special concrete that ensure the reactor building’s airtightness. The fifth layer of the IPC is a welded metal structure comprising 12 sections. The sections, weighing 10.75 metric tons each and measuring 6.45 meters in height, were welded together on a special platform to form a single ring with a total weight of 129 metric tons and a diameter of 44 meters at its widest (lower) point. The completed ring was then lifted from the ground using a heavy-duty crane and positioned at the design elevation inside the reactor building.

Following the installation of the fifth layer, the height of the reactor building for Power Unit 1 increased by 6.5 meters, reaching 43.1 meters.

The installation of the IKK layer is a time-consuming technological operation. It took 12 hours to mount the fifth layer into its design position using a Liebherr LR 13000 heavy crawler crane.

In parallel with the construction of the inner containment shell in the reactor building, work is underway on the exterior and interior walls, and the installation of vehicle and pedestrian passages and emergency exits continues. In the turbine building, the first-floor slabs are being constructed at an elevation of 8.4 meters, and work on the walls and columns is ongoing.

The reactor buildings of the Akkuyu NGS power units are equipped with a double containment structure. The reinforced concrete outer containment structure is designed to withstand extreme external forces, including a magnitude 9 earthquake, tsunamis, hurricanes, and combinations thereof.

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