The Emirates Nuclear Energy Corporation, ENEC, today announced the completion of several major construction milestones on Unit 2 of the Barakah Nuclear Power Plant for the UAE’s peaceful nuclear energy programme.
These include the completion of the 2,000 tonne containment liner plate for the Reactor Containment Building (RCB) including placement of the upper dome, lifting the pressuriser into place and lifting the roof frame for the Unit 2 main control room.
According to ENEC, the successful completion of these milestones continues their progress toward the safe and quality-driven delivery of the project to build four nuclear energy units in the Western Region of Abu Dhabi by 2020.
“Progress of Unit 2 at the Barakah Nuclear Power Plant continues to proceed safely and in adherence to the highest quality standards,” said Mohamed Al Hammadi, ENEC CEO. “Each unit’s progression remains scheduled at approximately 12 months apart. This allows our highly skilled workforce to move efficiently and deliberately through their tasks to ensure the safe and timely delivery of the entire project.”
“These milestones for Unit 2 are part of the defence-in-depth safety features in the design. The ongoing collaboration and commitment to safety and quality, seen in all our employees and contractors, is one of the great achievements of our programme. I am pleased with how this progress shows how effectively we are driving the commitments of the UAE peaceful nuclear energy programme through all levels of the organisation,” said Mr. Al Hammadi.
When completed, the four reactors at Barakah will have a combined generating capacity of approximately 5,600 MW and will supply nearly one-quarter of electricity demand in the UAE. Barakah Unit 1 is more than 81% complete and Unit 2 is almost 60% complete. ENEC is currently working to obtain the approval of the Operating License from the Federal Authority for Nuclear Regulation (FANR) for Units 1 and 2 and is responding to Requests for Additional Information (RAI) from the regulator to proceed to operate the first two Units. The UAE’s peaceful nuclear energy programme is scheduled to be complete by 2020, when Unit 4 is connected to the grid and provide the UAE with emissions-free electricity to power the future growth of the nation.
Source: Emirates news agency
