Minister marks milestone at Barakah 1

30 May 2016

The completion of major electrical installation work at the United Arab Emirates' (UAE) first nuclear power plant, Barakah unit 1, has been marked with a site visit by the country's Minister of Energy.  

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UAE Energy Minister Suhail Al Mazrouei and Enec CEO Mohamed Al Hammadi at Barakah (Image: Enec)  


Teams from the Emirates Nuclear Energy Corporation (Enec) and prime contractor Korea Electric Power Corporation (Kepco) installed over 454 pieces of electrical equipment such as switchgear, motor control centres and transformers as part of the major electrical installation at the APR-1400 pressurized water reactor.

Four reactors are under construction at Barakah, about 80 km west of the town of Ruwais in the western region of Abu Dhabi. Completion of major electrical work at unit 1 joins a list of milestones achieved so far in 2016, alongside the energization of the switchyard for units 1 and 2, the completion of cold hydrostatic testing at unit 1 and the completion of unit 2's reactor containment building dome structure. Unit 1 is now more than 87% complete, and all four units are more than 65% complete, Enec said.

Visiting the Barakah site last week, UAE Minister of Energy Suhail Mohamed Faraj Al Mazrouei said Enec's approach to the project, with its emphasis on safety, quality and performance, ensured the long-term sustainability of the country's nuclear energy program. "Nuclear energy will play a critical role in the provision of clean and sustainable energy to power the future of the UAE and diversify the nation's energy supply," he said.

Researched and written
by World Nuclear News