Third Barakah reactor vessel in place
The reactor vessel has been installed for 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.The reactor vessel has been installed for 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.
.jpg "Barakah 3 reactor vessel installed - 460 (ENEC)") |
| A ceremony marked the vessel's emplacement (Image: Enec) |
A ceremony was held yesterday to mark the installation of the component. Among the attendees was Saeed Eid Al Ghafi, chairman of the Executive Office, and Awaidha Murshed Ali Al Marar, chairman of the department of municipal affairs and transport and a member of the Executive Council. The event was also attended by, among others, Emirates Nuclear Energy Corporation (Enec) senior management and the Korean Ambassador to the UAE.
The vessel - measuring 14.8 meters in height and 5.5 meters in diameter and weighing 533 tonnes - was produced in South Korea by Doosan Heavy Industries and Construction. Its installation follows that of unit 1 in May 2014 and that of unit 2 in June 2015.
Enec CEO Mohamed Al Hammadi said, "The safe and successful installation of Enec's third reactor vessel is the culmination of many years of hard work and dedication." He added, "Enec is committed to delivering a world-class nuclear energy program and as we move from construction through to operation we continue to improve, particularly in the overall project management. The phased approach to completing each unit with a substantial amount of time between each one means each unit's development adopts the efficiencies learned from the previous one."
In a $20 billion deal announced in December 2009, Enec selected a consortium led by Korea Electric Power Corporation to build four APR-1400 reactors at Barakah, about 50 km from the town of Ruwais. Overall construction of the four units is now more than 65% 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
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