Authorities in the United Arab Emirates have given the green light to the construction of the Barakah Nuclear Power Units 1&2 being built with Korea’ s homegrown technology for the first time overseas.

The Federal Authority for Nuclear Regulation (FANR) issued a license to construct two Korean-designed nuclear power reactor units, known as the Advanced Power Reactor 1400 (APR1400), each capable of producing 1,400 megawatts of electricity, at the Barakah site in the western region of the United Arab Emirates on July 17. Concrete forming work on the first nuclear unit was done at the site one day after the permission was issued. Korea Electric Power Corp. (KEPCO) President Kim Joong-kyum, Executive Director Yang Joon-suk, in charge of Korea’ s nuclear reactor design at KEPCO Engineering & Construction Co. (E&C), and other executives of the Korean consortium partners attended a ceremony to mark the launch of concrete forming work for the projected first nuclear power unit. 

An application for the construction of the two nuclear power units was submitted to the FANR on Dec. 27, 2010, one year after Korea landed the Barakah nuclear power project. An 18 month-long review of the project involved replying to 1,600-odd queries from the UAE regulatory agency, 80 percent or 1,300 of which were handled by KEPCO E&C. 

The Korean consortium finally succeeded in obtaining the construction license. It marks the first time the permission on the construction of the APR1400 has been issued by a foreign nuclear regulatory agency. The UAE regulatory agency’ s approval of the project was owed to the Korean consortium partners’  dedicated efforts. 

Dr. Ahmed Al Mazroueil, chairman of the FANR Board of Management, said at its meeting on July 17, “The issuance of a construction license is a significant milestone in the UAE’ s nuclear energy program.”

FANR Director General Dr. William D. Travers said during a news conference on the same day, “Our comprehensive review of the construction license application was carried out by more than 200 technical experts over a period of 18 months. The reviewers scrutinized submissions by ENEC (Emirates Nuclear Energy Corp.) covering all required topics including the adequacy of the proposed site, the design of the facility, safety analysis, management systems, and quality assurance for construction, radiation safety measures, physical protection and safeguards. It was designed to ensure that all applicable technical and legal requirements were met.”

The concrete forming work involves the foundation for a reactor and auxiliary structures. In Korea, it takes an average of seven to eight months to prepare for the launch of concrete forming work after a license for the construction of a nuclear power unit is granted. The concrete forming work of the Barakah project was launched shortly after obtaining the construction license as permissions for mudmat (mud slab) and other work had already been issued by FANR for making preparations.

Barakah Nuclear Power Unit 1 is to be dedicated on May 1, 2017, and units 2, 3 and 4 will follow suit one every year until 2020. 

The Bakarah nuclear power project makes Korea a member of the global club of nuclear power plant exporters. Korea has been awarded a contract to build four nuclear power units in al-Baya, 330 km west of Abu Dhabi, with a capacity of 5.6 million kW (1.4 million kWx4). A Korean consortium, led by KEPCO, was selected in an international bidding for a package including everything ranging from construction and operation to the supply of nuclear fuel and the disposal of radioactive waste. 

Korea is now almost self-sufficient technologically with the development of the APR1400.

By capitalizing on the expertise and experience it has accumulated while building and operating 20 nuclear power units over the past three decades, Korea is now poised to develop the nuclear power industry into its mainstay export industry following such Korean success stories as the shipbuilding and semiconductor industries.

The nuclear power deal with the UAE has certified Korea’ s global competitive edge in the global nuclear power plant construction industry.