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GenⅢ+ APR1400, Barakah Unit 1 commercial operation begins
GenⅢ+ APR1400, Barakah Unit 1 commercial operation begins
27 April 2021
Barakah Unit 1
The APR1400 is one of the most technologically advanced nuclear reactor designs in the world and meets the highest international standards for safety and performance. This advanced design combines the latest developments in nuclear energy technology with a reliable design that has been proven over decades of operations.
The Barakah Nuclear Energy Plant, being developed in the United Arab Emirates (UAE) has four APR1400 nuclear reactors. Unit 1 started construction in July 2012 and achieved commercial operations in April 2021. Unit 2 has completed the fuel loading process and is working through all of the required testing prior to start-up, which is scheduled for later this year. Unit 3 is now 94% complete, Unit 4 is 89% complete and Barakah construction as a whole is more than 95% complete.
When fully operational, the Barakah plant will produce 5.6 gigawatts (GW) of electricity while preventing more than 21 million tons of carbon emissions every year, equivalent to removing 3.2 million cars from the roads annually. Also, the Barakah plant will deliver up to 25% of the UAE’s electricity with zero emissions. These 5.6 GW of clean electricity are enough to power over 570,000 UAE households for a whole year.
The Barakah nuclear power plant (NPP) under-construction in the Dhafra Region of Abu Dhabi is the first nuclear power project in the United Arab Emirates (UAE) as well as in the entire Arab world.
Korea Hydro & Nuclear Power.Co.,Ltd.
Over 20 years of experience in KHNP, in the field of Safety&Engineering NPP, HR, Strategy, Administration of Overseas Business
Mr. Kwang-Hee, Jeong
Director
Over 15 year experience in KHNP, in the field of NPP Operation and investigation, Administration of overseas business
Mr. Jung-Ki, Hong
Senior Manager
Over 10 year experience in KHNP, in the field of NPP Maintenance, I&C, Administration of overseas business
Mr. Young-Hwan, Choi
Senior Manager
ENEC awarded a $20.4 billion contract to the Korea Electric Power Corporation (KEPCO)-led consortium for the design, construction and operation of four APR1400 nuclear power units at the Barakah NPP in December 2009. The consortium includes Korea Hydro and Nuclear Power (KHNP), Hyundai, Samsung, Doosan, KEPCO Engineering and Construction (KEPCO E&C), KEPCO Nuclear Fuel (KNF) and KEPCO Plant Service and Engineering (KPS). Having around fifty years of experience with construction and maintenance of nuclear power plants, KHNP has always worked to efficiently manage their projects.
As a Generation III+ reactor, the APR1400 safety system is designed to prevent or mitigate severe accidents. The design incorporates passive safety systems, which work to ensure safe reactor shutdown, removal of decay heat and the prevention of radioactive releases. The plant is designed to withstand earthquakes of a 7.0 magnitude or higher on the Richter scale. Also, the UAE adapted the plant design to suit the climatic conditions of the UAE. The units have larger pumps, plant cooling and seawater intake systems, improved ventilation and a more refined intake screen design.
The total amount of financing at the point of the financial close in 2016 was estimated at US$ 24.4billion, composed of direct loan agreement if about US$ 19.6 billion as well as a total of US$ 4.7 billion in equity commitments.
- US$ 19 billion are provided as a direct loan from the Government of Abu Dhabi.
- US$ 2.5 billion are provided as a direct loan from KEXIM.
- US$ 250 million in agreements with five local and international commercial banks.
- The equity commitments are provided by ENEC and KEPCO as part of the 2016 Joint Venture Agreement.
The EU-APR is a version of the state-run nuclear operator’s APR 1400 reactor modified for export to Europe.
The EU-APR is an evolutionary 1400-1520 MWe Generation III+ pressurized water reactor, which has been developed by KHNP consortium incorporating advanced design features to enhance plant safety with excellent performance, based on the proven operating experience of OPR1000 and APR1400. On November 21, 2017, KHNP consortium consisting of KHNP, KEPCO E&C, KEPCO NF, and Doosan Heavy Industries & Construction acquired the European Utility Requirements (EUR) certificate for the standard design of the EU-APR. The consortium applied for the certificate to the EUR organization in December 2011 and underwent a pre-assessment for two years. After meeting all the requirements, the general assessment began in November 2015, and the final certificate was issued after 24 months, the shortest record ever achieved in EUR general assessment history. The EU-APR is developed as a modified design of the APR1400 to comply with European requirements such as regulatory documents by Western European Nuclear Regulators Association (WENRA), safety requirements of International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA), European Utility Requirements (EUR) and EU stress test recommendations as well as the European codes and standards.
This article was written with reference to enec, wam, power-technology, Nsenergybusiness.
