Wednesday, Sep 16, 2015
Abu Dhabi: The Emirates Nuclear Energy Corporation (Enec) has announced that it has successfully placed two steam generators at the Barakah nuclear power plant, and said that the project of building the UAE’s first nuclear energy plant is on schedule.
The two steam generators, each the size of a tennis court, took four years to build in South Korea. Once completed the generators were shipped to Barakah and installed inside the Unit 2 Reactor Containment Building.
The steam generators play an important role in the functioning of a nuclear energy plant, taking the heated water generated from the nuclear reaction and turning it into steam. The steam is then used to produce energy through a steam turbine, with the nuclear generator converting this energy into electricity.
Mohammad Al Hammadi, Enec CEO, said, “This is an important milestone in the continued progress and delivery of Enec’s second unit, which is scheduled to come online approximately one year after the first unit, which will be in 2017,” he said.
Al Hammadi lauded the fact that the work was being produced in a timely fashion without any lapses in safety, “As with all our work at Barakah, I am proud to see the team continue to deliver these significant achievements with safety, quality and performance as top priority at all times,” he added.
Once complete, the Barakah nuclear power plant will be composed of four nuclear power generators, housed in two plants. The first nuclear generator is scheduled to start supplying electricity by 2017, with all nuclear generators complete and online by 2020.
In related developments, the UAE’s Federal Authority for Nuclear Regulation (FANR) and the Korea Atomic Energy Research Institute (KAERI) signed a memorandum of understanding (MoU) in Vienna, Austria, earlier this week. The MoU will see both organisations work closely together in the field of nuclear safety for light-water nuclear power reactors over the next five years.
UAE Ambassador Hamad Al Kaabi, who signed the MoU along with KAERI President Dr Jonh Kyung Kim, said the deal would help enhance the UAE’s nuclear energy programme, “This agreement advances the UAE’s efforts to maximise safety as the nation prepares to add nuclear power to its energy mix. FANR and the UAE will benefit greatly from this cooperation with such an experienced nuclear partner as KAERI.”
By Sami Zaatari Staff Reporter
Gulf News 2015. All rights reserved.
