An assessment by an independent body has concluded that Unit 1 of the Barakah Nuclear Energy Plant in Abu Dhabi is ready to start up
The UAE is ready to start operating its nuclear power plant’s first reactor, Emirates Nuclear Energy Corporation announced on Tuesday.
Operator Nawah Energy Company, which is a subsidiary of Enec, said an extensive assessment carried out by an independent body concluded that Unit 1 of the Barakah Nuclear Energy Plant in Abu Dhabi is ready to start up.
An international team of nuclear industry experts from the Atlanta Center of the World Association of Nuclear Operators assessed the plant in November last year. The experts reviewed systems that are essential for safe start-up and operation, including operator performance, maintenance, and emergency preparedness.
The final results of the Pre-start Up Review, a globally-recognised assessment, confirmed that the first reactor was ready to begin operations.
Mohamed Al Hammadi, chief executive of Enec, called the results a “major milestone” for the country’s nuclear energy programme.
“It provides international recognition that our plant, people and processes meet international start up standards.”
He said Nawah would continue to work with the Federal Authority for Nuclear Regulation to get approvals and “gradually commence producing clean, safe and reliable electricity to power the growth of the UAE for the next 60 years.”
Barakah will be the UAE’s first nuclear plant and the world’s largest when complete. With four reactors it will add 5.6 gigawatts of capacity to the grid when fully operational. It is being built by Korea Electric Power Corporation and is scheduled to begin operation in the first quarter of this year.
The nuclear plant is also part of plans to significantly increase the ratio of clean power in the UAE’s energy mix. The UAE, which largely depends on gas to meet its power requirements, aims to cut its dependence on hydrocarbons to 76 per cent in 2021 from 98 per cent in 2012.
The country began construction of its South Korean-designed nuclear power plants in 2013, with four reactors each designed with a capacity of 1.4GW.
To begin generating power, the reactors are loaded with uranium pellets, which generate heat through a controlled nuclear reaction. This heat is transferred to water, which creates steam to drive the turbines.
The UAE signed a “123 agreement” with the US for the peaceful civilian use of nuclear energy and also has agreements with Argentina, Japan and Russia to co-operate in the atomic power sector.
