The United Arab Emirates' Department of Energy on 25 July issued an electricity generation licence to the Barakah One Company, a joint venture subsidiary of the Emirates Nuclear Energy Corporation (Enec) and the Korea Electric Power Corporation (Kepco), set up in 2016 to represent the commercial interests of the Barakah NPP project.
Construction of the first of four Korean-designed APR-1400 units at Barakah, in the Dhafrah region of Abu Dhabi, began in 2012 and was formally declared complete in March. The plant, being built by a consortium led by Kepco, will be operated and maintained by Nawah, a subsidiary Barakah One Company.
The electricity generation licence is one of the requirements that must be met before the Federal Authority for Nuclear Regulation (FANR) can issue an operating licence for Barakah 1.
As well as obtaining the necessary regulatory approvals, Enec has also emphasised the need to train sufficient nuclear operators before Barakah 1 can start operation, which is now scheduled for late 2019 or early 2020. It had originally been expected to begin operation in 2017.
Photo: Barakah 1 (Credit: ENEC)
