UAE delays start-up of first nuclear plant as operator not ready

KEPCO Engineering & Construction Co

05/05/2017 07:41

May 5 (Reuters) - The United Arab Emirates is delaying the 
start-up of its first Korean-built nuclear reactor by a year 
because the local company that needs to operate it has not yet 
received a licence from the nuclear regulator, Emirates Nuclear 
Energy Corporation (ENEC) said in a statement on Friday.  
    Confirming a Reuters report from Thursday, ENEC said that 
construction of the first reactor had now been completed, but 
the reactor will not start up before the UAE's Federal Authority 
for Nuclear Regulation (FANR) has issued an operating licence to 
Nawah, the ENEC-KEPCO joint venture set up to run the plant.  
    The Barakah Nuclear Energy Plant - built by Korea Electric 
Power Corporation (KEPCO)  015760.KS  - is the world's largest 
single nuclear energy new build project, with four APR-1400 
units under simultaneous construction, which will deliver up to 
a quarter of the UAE's electricity needs. 
 
 (Reporting by Geert De Clercq in Paris; editing by Alexander 
Smith) 
 ((geert.declercq@thomsonreuters.com; +33 14949 5343; Reuters 
Messaging: Twitter: @gvdeclercq)) 
 
Keywords: EMIRATES NUCLEAR/