Unit 1 of ENEC’s Barakah power plant now more than 57% complete

17.09.14

ENEC continues to deliver the UAE’s first nuclear power plant on time and on budget

The Emirates Nuclear Energy Corporation (ENEC) is pleased to confirm that Unit 1 of the four reactors being developed in the UAE’s peaceful nuclear energy program is now more than 57% complete. Construction of Unit 2 is also well under way. The whole project is progressing on time and on budget, in accordance with ENEC’s strategic objectives to supply safe, clean, reliable and efficient nuclear energy that supports continued growth in the UAE.

ENEC’s indicative timeline for the power station is for Unit 1 to enter commercial operation in 2017, Unit 2 in 2018, Unit 3 in 2019 and the final Unit 4 in 2020. The Federal Authority for Nuclear Regulation (FANR) recently announced that it had granted ENEC approval to commence construction of Units 3 and 4, following an 18 month rigorous review by the regulator and a team of nuclear energy experts in conjunction with the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) and the Republic of Korea’s nuclear energy regulator.

In May 2014 ENEC celebrated the arrival of the first Reactor Vessel; The RV is one of the largest components in a nuclear energy plant and is one of the many defense-in-depth barriers to ensure safety of the plant. Controlled nuclear reactions occurring inside the vessel release energy that is then converted into electricity.

In February this year, ENEC accomplished another key milestone, installing one of the largest condensers in the Middle East region. A condenser is a critical component used in all types of power plants and plays an important role in the generation of electricity, cooling steam back into water for the turbine generation process to repeat continuously. The condenser is made up of three sections connected by equalizing ducts, with each section measuring 26m in length and weighing 700,000kg. The condenser sections were fabricated in South Korea and shipped to Barakah. The condenser welding was completed in the Unit 1 Reactor Containment Building; a process which took more than 7 months to complete.

The four APR-1400 reactors being developed by ENEC will provide approximately 25% of the UAE’s electricity needs, saving up to 12 million tonnes of greenhouse gas emissions each year.