Gulf Construction Online - Main concrete works completed on N-plant

UAE Focus

Main concrete works completed on N-plant

01 December 2018

The Emirates Nuclear Energy Corporation (Enec) has celebrated the achievement of a historic milestone in the development of the Barakah Nuclear Energy Plant, with the completion of all main concrete works and heavy equipment lifting for the four nuclear reactor units being built in the Al Dhafra Region of Abu Dhabi.

Senior leaders and employees of Enec, together with the prime contractor and joint venture partner Korea Electric Power Corporation (Kepco), and their subsidiaries, the Nawah Energy Company and Barakah One Company, celebrated the achievement.

Construction of the plant began in July 2012 and the overall construction progress for the four units is now more than 90 per cent, said Enec.

“These achievements highlight the significant progress being made at the Barakah plant and mark the beginning of the end of construction activities as the final units of the plant transition to the testing and commissioning phase,” said Engineer Mohamed Al Hammadi, chief executive officer of Enec. “We are proud to have maintained our track record of safety and efficiency throughout the construction of all four units, and have established Barakah as the benchmark for new nuclear construction projects worldwide.

During this period, over 2.3 million cu m of concrete were poured, and 250,000 tonnes of reinforcing steel were installed by construction crews, setting an international construction performance record. The last major structural concrete pour at the Barakah plant was the fuel handling area roof of Unit 4, the final unit of the Barakah plant.

Other recent milestones achieved include Unit 2 cold hydrostatic testing (CHT) and hot functional testing, the completion of Unit 4’s reactor containment building (RCB) dome and reactor coolant loop (RCL) pipe welding, and the completion of all major construction on Unit 3’s turbine benerator and reactor pressure vessel (RPV) internals.