UAE’s Emirates Nuclear Energy Corporation (Enec) has commenced the construction activity for the country’s fourth nuclear energy reactor at Barakah, a nuclear plant site.

With this, Barakah becomes the world’s leading nuclear energy construction site with four identical reactors being safely constructed simultaneously in one site.

Enec’s Construction License for Units 3 and 4 was approved by the Federal Authority of Nuclear Regulation (FANR) in September 2014.

With the construction of four identical nuclear energy reactors now underway, Barakah surpasses nuclear construction sites in China, the US, the UK, Russia and other countries to become the largest project with simultaneous construction of identical nuclear technology in the world.

During the event held to mark the milestone, Suhail Mohamed Faraj Al Mazrouei, UAE Minister of Energy along with key officials, performed a site visit to receive an update given by ENEC CEO Mohamed Al Hammadi on the company’s program to deliver nuclear electricity in 2017.

The visit included an exclusive tour of the four Barakah units, as well as an update on ENEC’s Culture of Safety and specific demonstrations on how the organization prioritizes the safety and quality of all work performed at the Barakah site.

Following this, the delegation attended an official ceremony to mark Barakah as the world’s leading nuclear energy construction site. The ceremony was headed by Al Mazrouei, who unveiled a plaque to commemorate this significant milestone. The delegation then met with the Ebec Chief Program Office team, which manages the sophisticated construction project underway in Barakah.

“I am extremely proud to be here today at Barakah to witness this momentous occasion as Enec enters a new phase of development by delivering the only nuclear energy construction site in the world to have four identical nuclear reactors underway simultaneously,” said Al Mazrouei.

“Nuclear energy will play a critical role in the provision of sustainable energy to power the future of the UAE and, while the pace and sophistication of this historic program continues to grow, I am consistently impressed to see Enec deliver its project to the highest international standards of safety, quality and performance. This approach ensures the long-term sustainability of the UAE peaceful nuclear energy program.”

Since its inception in 2009, Enec has focused on the safe delivery of the UAE peaceful nuclear energy program, expertly managing the complexity of the site development to ensure that all construction work meets the highest standards of safety and quality.

“With the commencement of nuclear-related construction for Unit 4, Enec becomes project manager for the world’s leading nuclear construction site,” said Al Hammadi. “We now have more than 18,000 staff at Barakah working diligently to safely deliver on our mission to connect safe, clean, reliable and efficient nuclear energy to the UAE in 2017. As our program continues to gain momentum, this is a role we take on with great pride and responsibility, and as always, safety remains our overriding priority.”

Unit 1 is now 75 per cent complete and all four units are more than 50 per cent complete. By 2020, Enec’s team will be responsible for the operations of four nuclear energy units that are expected to provide up to a quarter of our nation’s electricity needs and to save up to 12 million tons of carbon emissions every year.

In 2017, Enec’s first unit is scheduled for completion, with additional units following at 12-month intervals. Unit 4 is set to commence commercial operations in 2020, pending regulatory reviews and licensing. – TradeArabia News Service