ENEC completes test for Unit 4 at Barakah nuclear power plant

The Emirates Nuclear Energy Corporation (ENEC) has successfully completed the Cold Hydrostatic Testing (CHT) at Unit 4 of the Barakah Nuclear Energy Plant, it announced on May 19.

As a part of CHT, the pressure inside Unit 4’s systems was increased to 25 per cent higher than the stipulated normal operating pressure. Prior to testing, Unit 4’s nuclear steam supply systems were flushed with demineralised water, and the reactor pressure vessel head and reactor coolant pump seals were installed.

During the testing, the welds, joints, pipes and components of the reactor coolant system and associated high-pressure systems were verified.

Mohamed Al Hammadi, chief executive officer of ENEC said: “I am proud of the continued progress being made at Barakah despite the circumstances we have all faced in relation to Covid-19. The UAE leadership’s decisive and proactive response to the pandemic supported us in taking timely, safety-led actions to protect the health and safety of our workforce and our plant. These actions, alongside the efforts of our talented and dedicated workforce, have enabled the successful completion of CHT at Unit 4, which was completed in adherence to the highest standards of safety, quality, and security.”

“With this accomplishment, we move another step closer to achieving our goal of supplying up to a quarter of our nation’s electricity needs and powering its future growth with safe, reliable, and emissions-free electricity,” noted Al Hammadi.

By the end of 2019, ENEC and Korea Electric Power Corporation (KEPCO) had completed all major construction work including major concrete pouring, installation of the turbine generator, and the internal components of the reactor pressure vessel of Unit 4.

In March, ENEC completed the fuel assembly loading into Unit 1 of the Barakah nuclear power plant, marking the start of nuclear operations to generate electricity.

Read: UAE officially starts operations at Barakah nuclear power plant

ENEC is currently in the final stages of construction of units 2, 3 and 4 of the plant, while the overall construction of four units is more than 94 per cent complete. Unit 4 is more than 84 per cent complete, Unit 3 is over 92 per cent and Unit 2 has achieved more than 95 per cent completion.

The four units at Barakah will generate up to 25 per cent of the UAE’s electricity demand by producing 5,600 MW of clean baseload electricity, and reducing 21 million tons of carbon emissions each year – the equivalent of removing 3.2 million cars off the roads annually.