Nawah Energy Company, the joint venture nuclear operating subsidiary formed by the Emirates Nuclear Energy Corporation (Enec) and the Korea Electric Power Corporation (Kepco), said that its board of directors have appointed Paul A Harden as its new chief nuclear officer (CNO).

Harden will be responsible for overseeing the quality and safety-led nuclear operations of the Barakah Nuclear Energy Plant.

He will also focus on building the nuclear capabilities of the talented UAE nationals working at Nawah to ensure a sustainable local workforce for the plant’s many decades of operations ahead.

In the short term, Harden will work with Nawah’s senior leadership team and the Federal Authority for Nuclear Regulation (FANR) in preparation for commencement of operations and maintenance of the first unit of the Barakah plant, followed by the start-up and commercial operation of the subsequent three units.

As Nawah CNO, Harden will be accountable for the adherence to all regulatory obligations related to the operating licences granted by FANR.

Mark Reddemann, chief executive officer, Nawah, said: “On behalf of our company I would like to welcome Harden to the senior leadership team.”

“Harden’s appointment further enhances the nuclear capabilities of our organisation in keeping with the UAE’s commitment to the highest standards of safety, quality and security. He brings extensive experience and knowledge from the international nuclear energy industry, which will be of significant value to operations at Barakah,” he said.

“We continue to press forward with our operational readiness plan and Harden will play a leading role in the progression of the ongoing preparations of this important stage in the programme,” he added.

Nawah is the joint venture operating subsidiary formed by Enec and Kepco in May 2016 to operate and maintain the four-unit Barakah Nuclear Energy Plant, located in the Al Dhafra region of Abu Dhabi, UAE.

“I am proud to be appointed as CNO for Nawah and look forward to working with the senior leadership team, as well as the talented team of UAE Nationals and international experts on this key national energy project,” said Harden.

Harden brings with him almost 35 years of nuclear energy experience, having been responsible for plant operations and overall safety, reliability and cost-effectiveness at the Palisades Nuclear Plant in Michigan and the Beaver Valley Power Plant in Pennsylvania, both located in the United States of America (USA).

Most recently he served as senior vice president and chief operating officer for the FirstEnergy Nuclear Operating Company (Fenoc) where he was responsible for overall safety and financial performance of three nuclear sites.

He was also responsible for the training, safety and human performance functions. Harden was a senior reactor operator earlier in his career, and has held several fleet vice president roles within the Nuclear Management Company and Fenoc.

The project at Barakah is progressing steadily; with the overall construction completion of the project is more than 93 per cent as of the end of March 2019. Unit 4 is more than 82 per cent complete, Unit 3 is more than 91 per cent, Unit 2 is more than 95 per cent, and Unit 1 construction is complete and is currently undergoing commissioning and testing, prior to regulatory review and receipt of the operating license from the FANR.

All four units will deliver clean, efficient and reliable electricity to the UAE grid, and will prevent the release of up to 21 million tonnes of carbon emissions each year, equivalent to removing roughly 3.2 million cars from the roads, it stated. – TradeArabia News Service