The Emirates Nuclear Energy Corporation (Enec) said it has achieved yet another milestone in the development of the country’s first nuclear energy plant, with the successful installation of its Unit 3 Reactor Vessel (RV) at Barakah.

The installation is a critical step in the continued progress and delivery of the country’s third nuclear energy unit and follows the successful installation of the Barakah Unit 2 RV in 2015 and the Unit 1 RV in 2014, said a statement from Enec.

The reactor vessel is one of the most important features and largest components in a nuclear energy plant, it stated.

Weighing over 400 tonnes and measuring almost 15 metres in height, the RV will eventually contain the controlled nuclear reaction that will generate the safe, clean and reliable nuclear energy that will feed into the UAE grid.

It is also one of the many defense-in-depth barriers that ensures the safety of nuclear energy plants, stated Enec.

The installation of the Unit 3 RV was celebrated at an event held at the Barakah Plant hosted by Enec CEO Mohamed Al Hammadi, with other guests of honour, Saeed Eid Al Ghafli, the chairman of the executive office and Awaidha Murshed Ali Al Marar; the chairman of Department of Municipal Affairs and Transport and a member of the Executive Council.

The guests also included senior management of the Federal Authority for Nuclear Regulation (FANR), the Regulation Supervisory Board (RSB), Abu Dhabi Water and Electricity Authority (ADWEA), the Critical Infrastructure and Coastal Protection Authority (CICPA), Western Region Municipality and the Korean Ambassador to the UAE.

Later they were taken around the unit where the RV, which was shipped from South Korea, is positioned and will perform its function, as well as hearing the latest construction updates from senior Enec engineers.

Al Hammadi pointed out that the safe and successful installation of Enec’s third reactor vessel was the culmination of many years of hard work and dedication.

"All teams involved have worked to the highest standards of safety and quality and I would like to personally thank the Kepco and Doosan teams for their commitment to the Barakah project’s development," he added.-TradeArabia News Service