Enec applies for Barakah Unit operating licence

Completed in collaboration with Korea Electric Power Corporation, the submission of the 15,000 page document to the UAE's Federal Authority for Nuclear Regulation is an integral safety step.

The Emirates Nuclear Energy Corporation (Enec) yesterday filed an application with the Federal Authority for Nuclear Regulation (FANR) for a licence to operate Barakah Units 1 and 2.

Enec’s 15,000-page document, completed in collaboration with Korea Electric Power Corporation (Kepco), is an integral step in assuring the safety of the planned operations and maintenance of the Barakah plant in the Western Region.

FANR will assess the application and respond with amendments on safety regulations.

Enec’s submission includes a safety assessment report for Barakah, which builds on the comprehensive nine-month safety design review that it submitted to FANR in December 2011 in the wake of the meltdown of the Fukushima nuclear plant in Japan.

Enec expects to receive the operating licence well before the scheduled first fuel load next year for the UAE’s nuclear energy programme.

“The submission is the culmination of many years of work by Enec and Kepco,” said Mohammed Al Hammadi, Enec’s chief executive. “It is proof of the organisation’s successful transformation into a world-class nuclear operating company.”