The loading of 163 dummy fuel assemblies — exact replicas of real nuclear fuel in design, weight and dimensions — into the reactor of Akkuyu NPP Unit 1 was completed in June 2026 under NDK supervision.
A critical commissioning milestone was reached at Unit 1 of the Akkuyu Nuclear Power Plant in June 2026. The loading into the reactor of 163 dummy fuel assemblies — exact replicas of real nuclear fuel in terms of design, weight and dimensions — was successfully completed. World Nuclear News announced the completion of the operation on 9 June 2026, and NucNet carried the development in a report dated 10 June 2026 (Source).
"A full rehearsal of nuclear fuel loading"
Sergei Butckikh, General Director of Akkuyu Nuclear JSC, described the operation as "a full rehearsal of nuclear fuel loading". During the loading, the full set of fuel handling procedures was practised in an environment as close as possible to operating conditions. Because the dummy assemblies share the same geometry and mass as real fuel, the behaviour of the fuel loading machine and associated systems could be tested under near-real conditions (Source).
Under NDK supervision, ahead of cold and hot tests
According to NucNet, the loading was carried out under the supervision of Turkey's Nuclear Regulatory Authority (NDK) and came ahead of the unit's cold and hot functional tests. Cold and hot functional tests are the commissioning stages in which reactor systems are trialled first at low temperature and then at parameters close to operating conditions. The operation served to verify the actual fuel loading systems and to confirm readiness for the test programme (Source).
An important stage on the road to commissioning
Anadolu Agency likewise reported the completion of the dummy fuel loading as an important stage on the way to commissioning Unit 1 (Source). The loading of assemblies into the reactor at the first unit of Turkey's first nuclear power plant was recorded as one of the steps symbolising the project's transition from a construction-dominated phase to a testing and commissioning phase. Coverage by three separate international and national outlets within the same days illustrated the attention the development received.
Why precision cargo handling matters
Handling fuel assembly replicas without damage and with full traceability, from factory to reactor building, illustrates the importance of documentation and precision cargo discipline in the nuclear supply chain. These requirements stand as one more concrete example of why quality standards are kept so strict in the field of nuclear project transportation.