Quality and document control for UAE nuclear
12 August 2011
Kocen of South Korea has won a contract for a range of quality-control services supporting the forthcoming Braka nuclear power plant in the UAE, including on-site checks at manufacturing bases.
The €25 million ($35.5 million) contract will see Kocen supervise the suitability of materials and equipment to ensure parts meet specification in liaison with Korea Electric Power Company (Kepco), the leader of the consortium building the Braka units. It will also operate a concrete laboratory for analysis of samples throughout the construction period.
Kocen will also set up a drawing and document control system for the management and computerization of files related to architectural engineering, construction and supply chain.
.jpg "UAE nuclear power plant (Enec)") |
| How Braka may look (Image: Enec) |
The company is part of the Tüv Süd technical service corporation based in Munich, which CEO Axel Stepken said has a "strategic intent to intensify its presence in the nuclear energy sector." Towards this aim Tüv Süd purchased Kocen in November 2010, about a year after another South Korean purchase, GNEC, which specialised in helping manufacturers and operators gain regulatory certification and approval. Stepken said the acquisitions have enabled Tüv Süd to "bundle the know-how and experience of German, English and Korean specialists."
The Braka nuclear power plant will feature four APR-1400 pressurized water reactors, slated to come online between 2017 and 2020 for owner the Emirates Nuclear Energy Corporation. The official start of construction of the first unit is expected late next year. The site is in a very sparsely populated area 53 kilometres from Ruwais and very close to the border with Saudi Arabia. It is closer to Doha, the capital of Qatar, than to Abu Dhabi about 240 kilometres to the east. Dubai is another 150 kilometres along the coast.
Researched and written
by World Nuclear News