Barakah N-plant to save 21M tonnes of carbon emissions
abu dhabi — The Barakah Nuclear Power Plant, once operational, would save up to 21 million tonnes of carbon emissions every year, according to a top official.
Addressing the media on Tuesday, Mohamed Al Hammadi, the chief executive officer of Emirates Nuclear Energy Corporation (Enec), said that the plant is expected to power 25 per cent of the country, if not the whole of the UAE. Nuclear energy may not be the cheapest but is the cleanest form of energy, he added.
Al Hammadi added that Unit 1 of the four-reactor plant was 96 per cent ready and would be operational from next year. And once all the four units are fully operational, the plant can produce uninterrupted power for 18 months.
“I wish to serve the whole UAE. The total plant capacity is 5,600
The total plant capacity is 5,600 MW. The plant will operate 24 hours for 18 months. The site is designed for more than four reactors.” Mohamed Al Hammadi, CEO, Enec
MW. The plant will operate 24 hours for 18 months,” he said during an interaction with journalists at the nuclear site.
Enec has also completed the cold hydrostatic testing (CHT) at Unit 2.
The testing confirms welds, joints, pipes and components of the reactor coolant system and associated high-pressure systems are in line with the regulations of the Federal Authority for Nuclear Regulation.
“Achieving CHT for Unit 2 is of great significance to the Barakah project,” said Al Hammadi. “As the delivery of the four nuclear units progresses, we ensure that all of the organisations working on the Barakah plant, the biggest nuclear construction project in the world, continuously look to improve the delivery of our programme through our acquired knowledge from preceding tests, units and works; making our project more quality and safety driven, as well as efficient.”
The CEO also hinted the plant could see further expansion. “The site is designed for more than four reactors,” Al Hammadi said.
He said the plant meets global standards of safety, quality and cybersecurity.
Safety overriding priority
There are thousands of construction labourers at the site, and most of them are ignorant of ways to work at a nuclear site. And last year, two workers were killed in a construction-related accident at the site.
Al Hammadi said comprehensive studies were done as the corporation wanted to make sure such things never happen again. “We had fatality. We have done lot of comprehensive analysis.”
According to the analysis, he said: “We found a gap in the skill expertise among labourers. Then we did a comprehensive training. We never want to compromise on safety.”
The corporation’s non-stop journey to excellence will continue, Al Hammadi said.
ashwani@khaleejtimes.com