UAE issues reactor licence for first Arab nuclear power plant
The United Arab Emirates said Monday it has issued a licence for a reactor at its Barakah nuclear power plant, the first in the Arab world, hailing a "historic moment".
The national nuclear regulator "has approved the issuance" of the operating licence for the first of four reactors at the plant, said Hamad al-Kaabi, the UAE representative to the International Atomic Energy Agency.
"This is a historic moment for the UAE, making it the first Arab country in the region to operate a nuclear power plant," Kaabi told a press conference.
"This milestone was achieved due to the UAE's vision and its leadership to build a peaceful nuclear energy programme to cater for the future needs of energy in the country."
The Barakah plant, located on the Gulf coast west of the UAE's capital, had been due to come online in late 2017 but faced a number of delays that officials attributed to safety and regulatory requirements.
Abu Dhabi authorities said in January that the plant would start operating within a few months.
"The full operation of Barakah plant in the near future will contribute to the UAE's efforts for development and sustainability," Kaabi said Monday, without giving a new date.
The plant is being built by a consortium led by the Korea Electric Power Corporation in a deal worth over $20 billion.
When fully operational, the four reactors have the capacity to generate 5,600 megawatts of electricity, around 25 percent of the nation's needs. The remaining three reactors are almost ready for operation.
The UAE has substantial energy reserves, but nuclear and renewables are targeted to contribute around 27 percent of its electricity needs by 2021.Qatar signs $470 mn solar deal
Arab World’s First Nuclear Reactor Cleared for Startup
(Bloomberg) -- The United Arab Emirates took a final step toward switching on the Arab world’s first commercial nuclear power plant, even as the country prospers by producing and selling fossil fuels.
Arab World’s First Nuclear Reactor Cleared for Startup
(Bloomberg) -- The United Arab Emirates took a final step toward switching on the Arab world’s first commercial nuclear power plant, even as the country prospers by producing and selling fossil fuels.
© Arun Girija/WAM via AP, File FILE - This undated photograph released by the United Arab Emirates' state-run WAM news agency, shows the under-construction Barakah nuclear power plant in Abu Dhabi's Western desert. South Korean President Moon Jae-in's visit to the United Arab Emirates this week shows the Asian nation's deepening cooperation with the Gulf country, from buying its oil, building the Arabian Peninsula's first nuclear power plant and potentially backing it in war. (Arun Girija/WAM via AP, File)
The U.A.E.’s regulatory watchdog gave long-awaited approval on Monday to the operator of the Barakah reactor, nudging the U.A.E. to the brink of membership in an elite club of 30 countries that make power from smashing atoms.
Built and run by a joint venture with Korea Electric Power Corp., the plant can now start loading fuel and ramp up to full commercial operation within several months. Other Arab countries, notably Saudi Arabia and Egypt, are also pushing into nuclear power in spite of questions about cost and safety.
“Barakah was meant to be the showcase for the international nuclear industry,” said Mycle Schneider, an independent analyst. “Grid connection is at least three years late, and there is no doubt that it is way over budget.”
Barakah is the first of four civilian reactors that the government plans to fire up by 2023. The plants, located on a sparsely populated strip of desert on the Persian Gulf coast, are estimated to cost $25 billion. The U.A.E. expects them to produce as much as 5.6 gigawatts once they’re fully commissioned, or almost a fifth of the country’s current installed generating capacity.
Earlier Efforts
Arab nations have tried, and failed, in years past to build nuclear capabilities. Iraq under Saddam Hussein had a well-developed program until Israel, an unacknowledged nuclear state, stifled his ambitions by destroying the Osiris research reactor in an air raid in 1981. Non-Arab Iran has operated the Bushehr facility since 2011, but Tehran faces crippling U.S. sanctions over its atomic program.
Barakah marks a new milestone for the region. The U.A.E., third-largest producer in the Organization of Petroleum Exporting Countries, is trying to diversify its domestic energy supply and lessen its dependence on oil. Dubai, the country’s business hub, targets meeting 75% of its needs from solar energy and other renewables by 2050.
U.S. Says Saudis Must Forgo Enrichment for Nuclear Sharing Deal
Schneider questions the regional nuclear push. “Nuclear power is now clearly the most expensive form of electricity generation,” the analyst said. While the cost of solar photo-voltaic power on a utility scale has plunged 90% over the past decade, nuclear power costs have risen by 26%, Schneider said.
And while advocates of nuclear energy argue that the technology is becoming safer, opponents point to catastrophic incidents, including the meltdowns of three reactors at the Fukushima plant in northern Japan in 2011.
Nawah Energy Co. -- the venture between Kepco and state-run Emirates Nuclear Corp. that will operate all four of the U.A.E.’s plants -- waited almost two years after the first one was completed before getting the green light from regulators to load it with fuel.
Nawah Energy “can fulfill all the safety requirements of the U.A.E.,” Christer Viktorsson, head of the Federal Authority for Nuclear Regulation, said Monday at a news conference in Abu Dhabi.
Training Staff
The U.A.E.’s deep pockets enabled it to build Barakah quickly, said Mark Hibbs, nonresident senior fellow at the Carnegie Endowment for International Peace’s Nuclear Policy Program.
“The U.A.E. has to build up a domestic pool of experts in many areas to keep these plants running smoothly and efficiently,” Hibbs said. “That won’t be trivial because when this project got underway virtually all of the expertise was imported from outside.”
A government-sponsored training program has produced 380 Emirati nuclear experts, and 60% of ENEC’s staff are U.A.E. citizens, according to the company.
As of 2017, the U.A.E. had about 30.4 gigawatts in installed power-generating capacity. The vast bulk of it involves the burning of natural gas, making the country’s nuclear program a key component in the plan to diversify its energy supply and lessen its reliance on hydrocarbons.
(Adds subheads and tout line)
The U.A.E.’s regulatory watchdog gave long-awaited approval on Monday to the operator of the Barakah reactor, nudging the U.A.E. to the brink of membership in an elite club of 30 countries that make power from smashing atoms.
Built and run by a joint venture with Korea Electric Power Corp., the plant can now start loading fuel and ramp up to full commercial operation within several months. Other Arab countries, notably Saudi Arabia and Egypt, are also pushing into nuclear power in spite of questions about cost and safety.
“Barakah was meant to be the showcase for the international nuclear industry,” said Mycle Schneider, an independent analyst. “Grid connection is at least three years late, and there is no doubt that it is way over budget.”
Barakah is the first of four civilian reactors that the government plans to fire up by 2023. The plants, located on a sparsely populated strip of desert on the Persian Gulf coast, are estimated to cost $25 billion. The U.A.E. expects them to produce as much as 5.6 gigawatts once they’re fully commissioned, or almost a fifth of the country’s current installed generating capacity.
Earlier Efforts
Arab nations have tried, and failed, in years past to build nuclear capabilities. Iraq under Saddam Hussein had a well-developed program until Israel, an unacknowledged nuclear state, stifled his ambitions by destroying the Osiris research reactor in an air raid in 1981. Non-Arab Iran has operated the Bushehr facility since 2011, but Tehran faces crippling U.S. sanctions over its atomic program.
Barakah marks a new milestone for the region. The U.A.E., third-largest producer in the Organization of Petroleum Exporting Countries, is trying to diversify its domestic energy supply and lessen its dependence on oil. Dubai, the country’s business hub, targets meeting 75% of its needs from solar energy and other renewables by 2050.
U.S. Says Saudis Must Forgo Enrichment for Nuclear Sharing Deal
Schneider questions the regional nuclear push. “Nuclear power is now clearly the most expensive form of electricity generation,” the analyst said. While the cost of solar photo-voltaic power on a utility scale has plunged 90% over the past decade, nuclear power costs have risen by 26%, Schneider said.
And while advocates of nuclear energy argue that the technology is becoming safer, opponents point to catastrophic incidents, including the meltdowns of three reactors at the Fukushima plant in northern Japan in 2011.
Nawah Energy Co. -- the venture between Kepco and state-run Emirates Nuclear Corp. that will operate all four of the U.A.E.’s plants -- waited almost two years after the first one was completed before getting the green light from regulators to load it with fuel.
Nawah Energy “can fulfill all the safety requirements of the U.A.E.,” Christer Viktorsson, head of the Federal Authority for Nuclear Regulation, said Monday at a news conference in Abu Dhabi.
Training Staff
The U.A.E.’s deep pockets enabled it to build Barakah quickly, said Mark Hibbs, nonresident senior fellow at the Carnegie Endowment for International Peace’s Nuclear Policy Program.
“The U.A.E. has to build up a domestic pool of experts in many areas to keep these plants running smoothly and efficiently,” Hibbs said. “That won’t be trivial because when this project got underway virtually all of the expertise was imported from outside.”
A government-sponsored training program has produced 380 Emirati nuclear experts, and 60% of ENEC’s staff are U.A.E. citizens, according to the company.
As of 2017, the U.A.E. had about 30.4 gigawatts in installed power-generating capacity. The vast bulk of it involves the burning of natural gas, making the country’s nuclear program a key component in the plan to diversify its energy supply and lessen its reliance on hydrocarbons.
(Adds subheads and tout line)
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