Emirates Nuclear Energy Corporation (ENEC) on 28 May began construction of UAE’s second nuclear power plant. Work is set to take five years, with 1.4gw Barakah-2 due for 2018 commercial start-up. ENEC said it will apply for an operating license for Barakah Units 1 and 2 in 2015. In March ENEC applied to UAE’s Federal Authority for Nuclear Regulation (FANR) for construction licenses for Units 3 and 4. It aims to have four plants online in 2020.
Korea Electric Power Corporation (Kepco) is building the Barakah plants under a $40bn contract signed in 2009. They will incorporate Kepco’s state-of-the-art APR 1400 reactor design. Kepco is working to start-up the first APR 1400 plant in Korea – the “reference plant” for Barakah – in September 2013. ENEC announced in March that Kepco had installed the base section of the containment liner for the reactor at Barakah-1. Further liner sections will be fabricated and installed this year. ENEC said Kepco is on track to start up Barakah-1 in 2017 (MEES, 29 March). (CONTINUED - 593 WORDS)
