Concrete dome completed at Barakah nuclear plant

The milestone was described as a major achievement for the development of the UAE nuclear energy programme.

Enec completes the concrete dome for the unit 2 reactor containment building. Courtesy Enec

ABU DHABI // A concrete dome for one of the Barakah nuclear plant containment buildings is complete.

The milestone for the Western Region plant, announced on Tuesday, was described by officials as a major achievement in the development of the UAE’s nuclear energy programme.

The dome – 51.4 metres in diameter, 24 metres in height and weighing about 9,000 tonnes – was described as the final structural component of the containment building, which measures more than 70 metres in height.

The structure houses the nuclear reactor and is a critical part of the nuclear plant’s defence barrier.

With thick concrete walls and heavy reinforcing steel the building ranks among the strongest structures in the world, officials said . It is designed to contain radiation.

The Emirates Nuclear Energy Corporation worked with the Korea Electric Power Corporation and other partners throughout the construction process.

“With the completion of the dome for unit 2, we are proud to have maintained our track record of safety and efficiency,” said Mohamed Al Hammadi, Enec’s chief executive.

“The construction not only involves highly technical infrastructure but thousands of people working under the highest standards of safety, security and quality.”

The next phase will include a three-month structural integrity test.

Work at Barakah is progressing steadily, with construction of the plant’s four units 62 per cent complete.

Installation of the reactor coolant system’s piping was completed in February.

Pending regulatory approval, the four units are scheduled to be delivered by 2020 and will feed nuclear energy into the UAE power grid, providing about 25 per cent of the UAE’s electricity needs while saving up to 12 million tonnes of greenhouse gas emissions annually, officials said.