KNA

The Barakah plant is expected to meet 25 per cent of its power needs by 2020

At first glance, the long hallway seemsabandoned. But behind glass walls, in soundproof offices, engineers andphysicists are putting the final touches to the Arab world`s first nuclearprogramme.

At the Federal Authority for NuclearRegulation (FANR) in Abu Dhabi, dozens of employees are reviewing the15,000-page application for the Barakah Nuclear Energy Plant, scheduled tolaunch next year.

The Barakah plant will make the UAE thefirst Gulf state to have a peaceful nuclear energy programme.

By 2020, the UAE Peaceful Nuclear EnergyProgram will be in full gear, with four nuclear reactors providing nearly 25per cent of the UAE`s electricity needs, according to the state-run EmiratesNuclear Energy Corporation (ENEC).

The first reactor was initially set tostart generating power in 2017, but ENEC recently announced its inaugurationwould be delayed until 2018 for technical reasons.

"We received the application forreactor one in March 2015 and since then we have been studying it," saidChrister Viktorsson, director general at the Federal Authority for NuclearRegulation which oversees regulation and licensing for the UAE`s nuclearprogramme.

"It`s a massive application," hetold AFP. "There are a few areas where we still have questions."

"We have to verify... that they havesecurity plans, like emergency plans, and if an accident happens they can dealwith it."

In the FANR offices, 300 kilometres west ofthe Barakah plant, Emirati and foreign employees are busy with licensingpaperwork in a bid to meet next year`s deadline.

ENEC in April reported construction of theplant`s four units had been 80 per cent completed, with reactor one at 95 percent completion.

Operations teams and contingency plans arealso in place, according to ENEC, and Viktorsson says he has "nodoubt" that the company will meet the 2018 launch date.

Much of the construction of the $25-billion(21.2-billion-euro) Barakah plant has been outsourced to the Korea ElectricPower Corporation, the largest electric utility in South Korea, which won theproject over French multinational group AREVA.

"The Barakah nuclear power plant willplay an important role for the UAE`s economic development and will be a rolemodel for the other Arab countries, proving that nuclear power can be used forpeaceful purposes," said a South Korean diplomat in the UAE, requestinganonymity.

"We don`t think the nuclear powerplant will cause any problems in the region," he added.

Officials in the UAE say their programmewill not add fuel to fire in the region.

"Our country is and will remain aforerunner," a UAE official said on condition of anonymity.

UAE ally Saudi Arabia has also said it aimsto develop a peaceful nuclear energy programme.

Source: Khaleej Times (2017-8-21)

http://www.khaleejtimes.com/nation/abu-dhabi/uae-nuclear-programme-edges-toward2018-launch-