Barakah nuclear power plant

Barakah Nuclear Power Plant

Yukiya Amano visited the Barakah construction site in 2013.

Yukiya Amano visited the Barakah construction site in 2013.
Location of Barakah Nuclear Power Plant in United Arab Emirates
Official name محطة براكة للطاقة النووية
Country United Arab Emirates
Location approx. 50 km west of Ruwais
Coordinates 23°58′04″N 52°13′53″E / 23.9677°N 52.2315°E / 23.9677; 52.2315Coordinates: 23°58′04″N 52°13′53″E / 23.9677°N 52.2315°E / 23.9677; 52.2315
Status Under construction
Construction began 2012
Commission date expected 2017–2020
Owner(s) ENEC
Nuclear power station
Reactor type PWR
APR-1400
Reactor supplier KEPCO
Cooling source Persian Gulf
Cooling towers no
Power generation
Units planned 4 × 1400 MW
Nameplate capacity 5600 MW

The Barakah nuclear power plant is United Arab Emirates's first nuclear power station. It is still under construction, and four APR-1400 nuclear reactors are planned to start operation successively between 2017 and 2020. The site is on UAE's Persian Gulf coastline between the sea and the E11 highway, about 50 km west of Ruwais.

History

In December 2009, Emirates Nuclear Energy Corporation (ENEC) awarded a coalition led by Korea Electric Power Corporation (KEPCO) a $20 billion bid to build the first nuclear power plant in the UAE. Barakah was chosen as the site to build four APR-1400 nuclear reactors successively, with the first scheduled to start supplying electricity in 2017.[1][2]

The plant's ground-breaking ceremony was held on 14 March 2011, including Korean President Lee Myung-bak.[3] Construction of the first unit was begun in the afternoon of 18 July 2012,[4][5] ahead of its scheduled date in late 2012. This happened despite delays being mooted in the wake of the Japanese nuclear accident.[6] In May 2013 construction started on the second unit, which is expected to take five years.[7] The first safety-related concrete was poured for Unit 3 in September 2014.[8] Unit 4 started construction in September 2015.[9][10]

In 2011 Bloomberg reported that following detailed finance agreements, the build cost was put at $30 billion: $10 billion equity, $10 billion export-credit agency debt, and $10 billion from bank and sovereign debt. South Korea may earn a further $20 billion from operation, maintenance and fuel supply contracts.[11] A later Bloomberg report indicates the price as $25 billion.[12]

In 2014 the Barakah 1 reactor vessel was delivered onsite and site preparation works for Barakah 3 and 4 started.[13][14] Meanwhile, the concrete-and-steel reactor containment building for Barakah 1 was completed in January 2015.[9]

In March 2015 ENEC applied to FANR for operating licences for Units 1 and 2. The schedule is still for operation of Unit 1 starting in 2017, with the remaining units following annually, so Unit 4 is set to reach commercial operations in 2020.[15]

In September 2015 first concrete was poured for Unit 4. More than 18,000 staff were then working on the construction of all 4 units.[16]

See also

References

  1. ↑ "UAE Nuclear Power Plants". BBC News. 27 December 2009. Retrieved 5 May 2010.
  2. ↑ "Quarter of UAE's power from nuclear energy by 2020". Emirates 24/7. Dubai Media. March 17, 2011. Retrieved 2011-03-22.
  3. ↑ "Pres. Lee Attends Groundbreaking Ceremony for UAE's Nuclear Plant". Arirang TV. March 14, 2011. Retrieved 2011-03-22.
  4. ↑ "Construction under way at Barakah". World Nuclear News. July 19, 2012. Retrieved 2012-07-19.
  5. ↑ "ENEC Starts Construction of UAE's First Nuclear Energy Plant". Gulfnews. July 20, 2012. Retrieved 2012-07-19.
  6. ↑ "UAE's Nuclear Watchdog Says To Review Atomic Energy Plans". Zawya Dow Jones. March 22, 2011. Retrieved 2011-03-22.
  7. ↑ "UAE pours first concrete for Barakah 2". Nuclear Engineering International. 29 May 2013. Retrieved 29 June 2013.
  8. ↑ "Construction starts on third Barakah unit". World Nuclear News. 8 May 2012. Retrieved 11 March 2015.
  9. 1 2 "Barakah Nuclear Power Plant, Abu Dhabi, United Arab Emirates". power-technology. 2015. Retrieved 1 August 2015.
  10. ↑ "UAE's fourth power reactor under construction". World Nuclear News. 2 September 2015. Retrieved 2 September 2015.
  11. ↑ Ayesha Daya and Stefania Bianchi (24 November 2011). "U.A.E.’s Nuclear Power Program Said to Cost $30 Billion". Bloomberg Businessweek. Retrieved 28 November 2011.
  12. ↑ Sharif, Matthew Martin Arif. "Abu Dhabi Said to Revive Debt Plan for First Nuclear Plant". Bloomberg.com. Retrieved 2015-12-28.
  13. ↑ "Barakah 1 reactor vessel delivered". World Nuclear News. 30 May 2014. Retrieved 10 March 2015.
  14. ↑ "Work to start on third and fourth Barakah units". World Nuclear News. 12 February 2014. Retrieved 10 March 2015.
  15. ↑ "UAE's ENEC submits plan to run first two nuclear reactors". Arabian Business. 28 March 2015. Retrieved 5 April 2015.
  16. ↑ "UAE's fourth power reactor under construction". World Nuclear News. 2 September 2015. Retrieved 17 September 2015.
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