Construction work on the UAEs first nuclear power plant has reached 70 percent completion.
The first of four 1,400 megawatt (MW) reactors at the $20bn plant near Barakah in Abu Dhabi is on track to commission in 2017 and the plant is expected to operate at full capacity by the end of 2020.
“All four units at Barakah are some 70 per cent complete, an amazing achievement, considering that we started construction a mere four years ago, said Mohamed Al Hammadi, ENECs CEO.
Most recently, we installed Unit 3s Reactor Vessel, completed the construction of the concrete dome for the Unit 2 Reactor Containment Building, and are progressing steadily through the testing and commissioning phase at Unit 1, where the structural integrity and integrated leak tests were recently completed,” Al Hammadi added.
When we started in 2009, the UAE was the first country in 27 years to build nuclear facilities, establishing the Barakah project as a benchmark for all future nuclear projects.
All of our employees are proud to be part of the programme, which will deliver low-carbon, sustainable nuclear energy to the UAE,” he concluded.
A consoritum led by Korea Electric Power Corporation (KEPCO) was awarded a contract for the design, construction and operation in 2009.