São Paulo – The United Arab Emirates started the construction of their first nuclear power plant, in Barakah, in Western Abu Dhabi, this week. The plant, named Barakah Unit 1, should start operating in 2017 and will have capacity for generation of 1,400 megawatts. This information was disclosed by Emirates Nuclear Energy Corporation (Enec), the governmental agency responsible for implementing the nuclear energy programme of the Emirates.
Construction of Barakah Unit 1 is the responsibility of Korea Eletric Power Corporation and the works should take five years. Barakah was chosen for the construction of the plant after broad analysis of possible sites throughout the country. The factors analysed included items like the seismic history, safety, distance from great population centres, proximity to great water sources and environmental considerations.
"This has been a momentous week for the UAE’s peaceful civil nuclear energy programme," said Mohamed Al Hammadi, ENEC CEO at the beginning of the works, according to a press statement disclosed by the company. “We have received approval from our regulators on the extensive safety analysis which led to the selection of our site, Barakah, and our chosen technology, the APR1400, and today we commence the construction of the UAE’s first nuclear energy plant.”
According to the Enec press statement, the plant is designed to resist extreme events like tsunamis, earthquakes and blackouts. In total, there will be four nuclear power plants installed in Barakah. The second unit should start being built in 2013. Enec forecasts that all units should be operational by 2020.
The Enec press statement does not mention the cost of works, but information disclosed by newspaper Khaleej Times in 2009, when the emirates promoted the tender for choice of the contractor, estimated some US$ 40 billion.
According to the state-owned agency, when the four power plants are operating, the Emirates should reduce 12 million tonnes of carbon emissions a year.
*Translated by Mark Ament
