This week, the Emirates Nuclear Energy Corporation (ENEC) hosted the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) Director General Yukiya Amano at the Barakah Nuclear Power Plant site in the Western Region of Abu Dhabi.
The visit served as an important opportunity for the Director General to observe the significant progress being made at Barakah, which is now the world’s leading nuclear energy construction site with four identical reactors being safely constructed simultaneously.
During the visit, which was also attended by the UAE’s Permanent Representative to the IAEA, Ambassador Hamad Al Kaabi, ENEC’s Chief Executive Officer H.E. Mohamed Al Hammadi outlined some of the recent major construction milestones achieved on site and discussed the organization’s commitment to continue sharing best practices, knowledge, and lessons learned with the Agency and the international nuclear community as it completes construction and prepares for operations.
The Director General congratulated ENEC and all of its staff for the progress made since his last visit in 2013. “The UAE continues to make excellent progress in the development of its nuclear energy program and we would like to commend the UAE government, ENEC and FANR for their clear commitment on safety and to delivering a world-class industry and facility here at Barakah,” said DG Amano.
Unit 1 is now more than 85 per cent complete and Unit 2 is 65 per cent complete. Overall, construction of Units 1 to 4 is now more than 58 per cent complete. All four units will deliver safe, clean, reliable and efficient nuclear energy to the UAE grid by 2020, pending regulatory reviews and licensing.
“We are honoured to welcome DG Amano to Barakah, to showcase the progress being made on site, and to reaffirm our commitment to delivering this program with safety and quality as our overriding priorities,” said Mr Al Hammadi. “We are extremely grateful to the Agency for its continued guidance and support and we look forward to this level of collaboration throughout the life of the program.”
Ambassador Al Kaabi emphasized the strong support the UAE has received from the international nuclear community in its peaceful nuclear energy program, including the role of the IAEA, the International Advisory Board (IAB) and many other world- renowned industry and advisory bodies.
Al Kaabi said: “The UAE has shown the highest level of commitment to international standards and best practice since the very start of the UAE peaceful nuclear energy program. Our nation is dedicated to creating this new industry and sustaining it long into the future as a vital element of the UAE’s low-carbon economy, in full co-operation and with the support of the international community.”
The construction of the Barakah NPP commenced in 2012, and is scheduled for completion in 2020. With four reactors online, the facility will deliver up to a quarter of the UAE’s electricity needs and save up to 12 million tons in carbon emissions every year.