The Emirates Nuclear Energy Corporation (Enec) said it has installed the reactor pressure vessel (RPV) at unit 3 of the Barakah NPP under construction in the United Arab Emirates (UAE). It follows the successful installation of the RPVs at unit 2 in 2015 and unit 1 in 2014.

The Emirates Nuclear Energy Corporation (Enec) said it has installed the reactor pressure vessel (RPV) at unit 3 of the Barakah NPP under construction in the United Arab Emirates (UAE). It follows the successful installation of the RPVs at unit 2 in 2015 and unit 1 in 2014.

The ceremony marking the installation of the unit 3 RPV was attended by Enec CEO Mohamed Al Hammadi;  the chairman of the Enec executive office, Saeed Eid Al Ghafli; the chairman of Department of Municipal Affairs and Transport, Awaidha Murshed Ali Al Marar; as well as senior management of the Federal Authority for Nuclear Regulation (FANR), the Regulation Supervisory Board (RSB), Abu Dhabi Water and Electricity Authority (ADWEA), the Critical Infrastructure and Coastal Protection Authority (CICPA), Western Region Municipality and the Korean Ambassador to the UAE.

The Barakah NPP, about 50km from the town of Ruwais, will comprise four Korean-designed APR-1400 pressurised water reactors which are expected to provide about 25% of the UAE’s electricity. Construction of Barakah 1 began in 2012 and is now 88% complete. Unit 2 is 72% complete, unit 3 is 30% complete and unit 4 is 31%, Enec said. Unit 1 is scheduled to start up in 2017, with the other units following at yearly intervals. Enec is working closely with prime contractor Korea Electric Power Corporation (Kepco), which won the $20bn contract in 2009.

Earlier in July, tests to evaluate the strength and leak tightness of the unit 1 containment building were completed. The structural integrity test and the integrated leak rate test, which together demonstrate the integrity and robustness of the structure and its ability to perform under normal and extraordinary circumstances, took several weeks to complete. The tests were carried out under the full oversight of FANR.