Nawah Energy Company, the joint venture nuclear operations and maintenance subsidiary of Emirates Nuclear Energy Corporation (Enec) and reactor supplier Korea Electric Power Corporation (Kepco), said throughout the power ascension testing process, the systems of Unit 1 are being monitored and tested to ensure their compliance with regulatory requirements.
Power ascension testing is being conducted under the oversight of the UAE’s regulator, the Federal Authority for Nuclear Regulation, which has conducted more than 280 inspections since the start of Barakah’s development. These national reviews have been supported by more than 40 assessments and peer reviews by the International Atomic Energy Agency and World Association of Nuclear Operators.
Nawah’s operations team at Unit 1 is now working to increase the plant’s electricity production to 100% capacity, marking the final stage of power ascension testing. Unit 1 will then be gradually shut down for a check outage, which will take place over several months and involve the examination of systems and any planned or corrective maintenance.
All four units under construction at the $24bn Barakah facility, the first commercial nuclear station in the Arab world, are Generation III+ APR1400 plants supplied by Kepco. Each unit is 1,345 MW with a total net installed capacity for the station of 5,380 MW.
Enec recently announced the construction completion of Unit 2. Construction of Units 3 and 4 is in its final stages, with Unit 3 at 93% completion, Unit 4 at 86% completion, and the overall construction completion of the four units standing at 94%.
