Operating licence issued for first phase of UAE nuclear power project

 

The UAE’s independent nuclear regulator, Federal Authority for Nuclear Regulation (FANR), has issued the operating licence for the first reactor of the 5.6GW Barakah nuclear power project.

The licence was issued to the Nawah Energy Company (Nawah), the Emirates Nuclear Energy Corporation (Enec) subsidiary, established to operate the $24.4bn nuclear power plant, which is being developed by a consortium led by Korea Electric Power Corporation (Kepco).

The operating licence enables Nawah to operate the first reactor for a period of 60 years.

The overall construction work on the project is 93 per cent complete. With construction work on the first unit having been completed, the second unit is 95 per cent complete, with units three and four 92 per cent and 83 per cent complete respectively.

The issuance of the operating licence for the first reactor marks a significant step forward for the plant, which has fallen a number of years behind schedule. The first reactor had been due to come onoine in 2017, with the remaining three to come online one-a-year up until 2020.

The consortium developing the project, including Kepco and other South Korean firms Doosan Heavy Industries and Samsung Corporation, was awarded an estimated $20bn contract to develop the project in 2009.