Students embark on field trip to Akkuyu Nuclear Plant

MERSİN

More than 150 primary school students have paid a visit to the Akkuyu Nuclear Power Plant in the southern province of Mersin, as the officials have shared information about nuclear energy with the children during the field trip to the plant over several sessions.

Before the field trip, protective equipment consisting of helmets and vests was delivered to the children who were informed about occupational safety.

The trip at Akkuyu NPP started from the Eastern Cargo Terminal, where the ships bringing equipment and supplies to the plant are unloaded.

Each student found the chance to sit in the operator’s seat of the world’s largest crawler crane in the terminal. One of the most memorable stops of the field trip was the fire department unit. On this part of the tour, the children received a quick training session regarding search and rescue operations, while the staff gave information about how important speed is in the work of firefighters and other rescuers.

Firefighters also told the children on the spot how they respond and act quickly in an emergency situation. The trip ended on the cruise hill, which has a panoramic view of the construction site of the Akkuyu NPP.

The idea of organizing a trip came from Aleksey Likhachev, General Director of the Russian State Nuclear Energy Corporation Rosatom, and Musa Ayyıldız, the district governor of Gülnar, in a meeting held at the Büyükeceli Elementary School before the delivery of the first batch of nuclear fuel to the Akkuyu NPP.

Speaking about the trip, Anastasia Zoteeva, General Director of Akkuyu Nuclear project company, said, “The students admire the size of the construction, and these sincere feelings make us happy.”

“This children’s trip to the Akkuyu NPP site is a great pleasure for all employees of the project. Many of the children have parents who work at this plant and put a lot of effort into this project. It is good for kids to learn about the company their parents have had success with,” Zoteeva expressed.

The tour routes at the world’s largest nuclear construction site “were not determined by chance,” Zoteeva stressed, adding that they were planning a field trip where they could see different professions.

“This is part of a career guidance project that we have been running for a long time. This route allows children to learn many different professions,” she said.

Reminding that people from many different business lines are involved in the project, including engineers, designers, ecologists, crane operators, drivers, lawyers, economists and experts in the field of NPP project management and operation, Zoteeva said that students asked a lot of interesting questions about the characteristics of these specialties and show interest in these areas.