Steam generators installed at third Barakah unit

Wednesday, 17 August 2016

Installation of the two steam generators has been completed at unit 3 of the Barakah nuclear power plant under construction in the United Arab Emirates. All four units at the site should be in operation by 2020.

One of the steam generators destined for Barakah 3 is unloaded from a ship at the construction site (Image: Enec)

The stainless steel steam generators, which Emirates Nuclear Energy Corporation (Enec) describes as similar in length to a tennis court, were manufactured in South Korea by Doosan Heavy Industries and took four years to make.

The steam generators will transfer the heat generated inside the reactor from the water used to cool the unit's core into a secondary circuit, producing steam for the electricity generation turbines. The steam generators contain tubes made of a nickel-chromium-iron alloy that are strong and corrosion resistant at high temperatures and pressures.

Enec CEO Mohamed Al Hammadi said, "The complex installation - the third installation of steam generators at Barakah - is another great achievement for all of the teams involved. This success is a result of Enec's extensive collaboration with our prime contractor, Korea Electric Power Corporation (Kepco), and the robust culture of safety we have fostered at Barakah". He added, "We are committed to delivering safe, clean and reliable nuclear energy to power the UAE's future growth, and I am proud of the progress being made at Barakah as we continue to work to achieve our strategic goals."

Enec said that, over the next six months, further piping connection work will take place to connect unit 3's steam generators to the reactor vessel, turbine generators and condenser.

Installation of the reactor pressure vessel at unit 3 was completed last month. Enec said construction of unit 3 is now over 54% complete.

In a $20 billion deal announced in December 2009, Enec selected a consortium led by Kepco to build four APR-1400 reactors at Barakah, about 50 km from the town of Ruwais. Overall construction of the four units is now almost 68% complete, Enec said. Unit 1 is scheduled to start up in 2017, with the other units following at yearly intervals. The four reactors are expected to provide about 25% of the UAE's electricity and save up to 12 million tonnes of greenhouse gas emissions annually.

Researched and written
by World Nuclear News