May 2013 has been a remarkable month for the UAE, as it commenced construction of its second nuclear reactor. The country aims to have all four reactors in operation by 2020, as announced on 28 May 2013.
The construction site of the nuclear power plant at Barakah, in Al Gharbia, was visited by Yoon Sang-jick, the South Korean Minister of Trade, Industry and Energy, and Senior Emirati officials. Being developed at a cost of about USD $20 billion, the power plant is expected to meet up to one-fourth of Abu Dhabi’s energy needs within the next decade.
The UAE’s nuclear operator, the Emirates Nuclear Energy Corporation (ENEC), officially started the construction of the nation’s first nuclear power plant on 18 July 2012, pouring the first batch of nuclear safety concrete for the Brakah Unit 1.
With the commencement of work on its second nuclear reactor, the UAE has achieved another major milestone towards the timely construction of its first nuclear power plant which consists of four power reactors.
“So far this is the most aggressive deployment of a new programme from scratch. Given what happened in the past two years with Fukushima and the attention that the global community paid to nuclear safety, to be able during this time to make progress not only on the original plan but also to adapt lessons learnt as we go on, this in itself is quite an achievement” – Ambassador Hamad Alkaabi, UAE Permanent Representative to the IAEA commented to the media.
ENEC has most recently submitted the construction license application for Units 3 and 4 to FANR in March 2013.
The country’s nuclear programme is supported by the notion that by 2020, the UAE’s energy demand will rise to more than 40,000 MWs – a rate of approximately 9% growth per year.
About the UAE Nuclear Power Plant
Established in December 2009, the Emirates Nuclear Energy Corporation (ENEC) is responsible for the construction and operation of nuclear energy plants in the UAE.
ENEC awarded the Prime Contract to a consortium led by KEPCO – the Korean Electric Power Corporation – to build and help operate four APR 1400 nuclear reactors. The value of the Prime Contract awarded to KEPCO is US$20 billion.
The APR-1400 reactors are Generation-III reactors; technology that features advance standards for nuclear safety, performance and environmental impact. The APR-1400 reactors are based on a Combustion Engineering System 80+ design certified by the Nuclear Regulatory Commission (NRC) in the United States.
The first of the four units is projected to begin providing electricity to the grid by 2017, pending the regulatory approval, with the three additional units being completed by 2020. With four reactors online, nuclear energy will generate up to a quarter of the Abu Dhabi energy needs.
Two APR-1400 units currently under construction in South Korea are serving as the “reference plants” for the UAE.
