UAE Reaches Milestone in Nuclear Development Program

---

Written by Richard Finlayson, Senior International Editor for Industrial Info Resources (Sugar Land, Texas)--The United Arab Emirates' (UAE) plan for four nuclear reactors to provide 25% of its electricity, and mitigate 12 million tons of greenhouse gas emissions annually, is getting into gear.

View Project Report - 98500144 300085310

This week, the Emirates Nuclear Energy Corporation (ENEC) reached a milestone with the pouring of safety concrete at the containment building for Unit 3 at its first nuclear plant. The pouring of more than 1,954 cubic yards of concrete was attended by officials from ENEC and KEPCO (NYSE:KEP) (Seoul, South Korea). It followed the receipt of a construction license from the Federal Authority of Nuclear Regulation (FANR).

The pouring of the safety concrete marks the first stage in the construction of the program's third reactor. It was preceded by 12 months of preparation work, which included excavation, lean concrete to provide a base, waterproofing, and the installation of reinforcement steel. The safety concrete forms part of the lower basement structure of the reactor containment building. Concrete placements will be a regular and ongoing process after the first placement is completed.

Construction will continue until the reactor containment building wall is installed. Construction will be completed after a period of three years. Unit 3 is scheduled to begin commercial operations by 2019.

ENEC received the go-ahead from FANR last week to begin construction on units 3 and 4, following an 18-month review by FANR and a team of international nuclear energy experts.

Unit 1 already is more than 57% complete and is due to be connected to the grid in 2017. Construction on Unit 2 is proceeding as scheduled, and it should begin commercial operations in 2018.

Industrial Info Resources (IIR), with global headquarters in Sugar Land, Texas, three offices in North America and 10 international offices, is the leading provider of global market intelligence specializing in the industrial process, heavy manufacturing and energy markets. Industrial Info's quality-assurance philosophy, the Living Forward Reporting Principle™, provides up-to-the-minute intelligence on what's happening now, while constantly keeping track of future opportunities.