The construction of the UAE’s Barakah Nuclear Plant’s first reactor is 96 percent complete, according to a report by the Emirates Nuclear Energy Corporation (ENEC).
Construction for Barakah began in 2012, and the overall completion of the four units is now more than 84 percent, with Unit 1 now more than 96 percent complete.
Once the four reactors are online, the facility will deliver up to a quarter of the UAE’s electricity needs, and save up to 21 million tonnes of carbon emissions every year, ENEC has said.
ENEC has claimed that the reactors will be the most technologically advanced of their kind in the world.
In a progress report obtained by the Emirates News Agency (WAM) ENEC has confirmed that preparation is going at “full tilt” for the operational readiness of the plant’s Unit 1, highlighting the progress being made on the construction of the other three units.
The report underlined the importance of the Barakah Nuclear Energy Plant to the UAE’s progress in diversifying and securing the UAE’s energy sources and the impact of the plant and the wider UAE Peaceful Nuclear Energy Programme on creating strong opportunities for local businesses and talented UAE Nationals from the surrounding communities.
The report underscored the quality-led approach adopted to the construction and commissioning of the Barakah Plant in line with the highest standards of safety, quality and transparency, which has made the project a role model for all new nuclear energy programs globally.
The Barakah Plant has already had a significant impact on the growth and prosperity of the UAE, WAM said, with contracts valued at more than AED 13 billion awarded to local companies.
In addition, the UAE Peaceful Nuclear Energy Programme is educating and training a new generation of Emirati nuclear energy experts, pioneers in the transformation and diversification of the UAE economy, the report stated.
Teams from ENEC and its joint venture partner and prime contractor KEPCO have recently achieved a series of construction milestones on the units of the Barakah Plant.
In 2017, the reactor containment building liner dome section was installed and concrete pouring for the dome was completed on Unit 3, and the reactor containment liner plate rings, reactor vessel, steam generators and condenser were installed on Unit 4. Testing and commissioning activities are progressing steadily on Units 1 and 2.
