The circular polar crane operating under the inner containment dome of Akkuyu NPP Unit 1 was commissioned on 19 October 2023, while fuel handling machine equipment was delivered to the site in the same period.
A major milestone was reached at Unit 1 of the Akkuyu Nuclear Power Plant: the circular "polar crane" operating under the dome of the reactor building's inner containment was commissioned on 19 October 2023. According to the announcement carried by Rosatom's Atom Media, the crane's entry into service significantly accelerated the installation of heavy equipment inside the unit. Source
What is a polar crane?
As described by Akkuyu Nuclear JSC, the polar crane is a bridge-type crane that travels on a circular rail under the dome and is used for moving large equipment inside the reactor building, for reactor maintenance and for fuel loading operations. Its rotation on a circular rail allows lifting operations to be carried out at different points of the reactor hall. Cranes of this type remain in service throughout the plant's operating life, supporting maintenance and fuel handling work. Source
As the main lifting equipment for reactor assembly, maintenance and fuel loading, the commissioning of the polar crane marked a critical threshold for keeping the installation of heavy components inside the reactor compartment of Unit 1 on its planned sequence.
Fuel handling equipment delivered to site
According to World Nuclear News, equipment for the fuel handling machine was delivered to the Akkuyu site in the same period as the commissioning of the first polar crane. This meant progress both in the heavy lifting infrastructure of the reactor hall and in the equipment that will serve the unit's future fuel loading operations. Source
Significance for heavy equipment logistics
On nuclear construction sites, the commissioning of large lifting systems such as polar cranes makes it possible to place components weighing hundreds of tonnes safely into their final positions inside the reactor building. Getting components of this scale from manufacturing plants to the site is an engineering discipline in its own right; the field of nuclear project transportation covers the movement of heavy and sensitive plant equipment with specialised transport and handling solutions.
The commissioning of the polar crane on 19 October 2023 and the arrival of the fuel handling machine equipment were recorded as developments illustrating the progress of assembly and commissioning preparations at Akkuyu NPP Unit 1 as of October 2023.