A “core catcher”, the crucial safety component of the Akkuyu Nuclear power plant, has been delivered to the construction site, the Akkuyu Nuclear Inc. said in a statement on Monday.

The core catcher, which is the first large-scale equipment of the Unit 1, will be installed under the nuclear reactor pressure vessel, is a cone-shaped tank weighing 150 tons made of high-temperature steel, according to the statement.

It had been manufactured by the Russian enterprise JSC TYAZHMASH specializing in this kind of equipment, it also added.

“The construction works at the Unit 1, for which the core catcher is intended, are performed according to the plan, the preparatory works for the catcher installation are in progress,” the Akkuyu Nuclear Inc. said.

Anastasiya Zoteeva, General Director of Akkuyu Nuclear Inc., said in the statement that the first equipment was the part of the nuclear safety.

“The safety and reliability of an NPP are laid down long before the start of its operation. The implementation of nuclear safety principles from the very first day of the project implementation, as well as the constant control over the construction works, are an essential part of the construction process,” Zoteeva said.

“This approach is applied through the entire lifetime of the plant, which is 60 years, with possible extension,” she added.

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