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Cold Testing Complete At UAE’s Barakah-3 Nuclear Plant

By David Dalton
17 December 2018

Cold Testing Complete At UAE’s Barakah-3 Nuclear Plant
The Barakah-3 nuclear plant in the UAE. Photo courtesy Enec.

17 Dec (NucNet): Cold hydrostatic testing has been completed at Unit 3 of the Barakah nuclear power station under construction in the United Arab Emirates, Emirates Nuclear Energy Corporation has said.

As a part of the testing, the pressure inside Unit 3’s systems was increased to 25% above what will be the normal operating pressure.

Before testing, Unit 3’s nuclear steam supply systems were flushed with demineralised water, and the reactor pressure vessel head and reactor coolant pump seals were installed. During the cold hydrostatic testing, the welds, joints, pipes and components of the reactor coolant system and associated high-pressure systems were verified Enec said.

Enec is the company behind the $19bn project to build four South Korean 1,345-MW APR-1400 reactors at Barakah, about 240km west of Abu Dhabi city in the UAE.

Earlier this year, Enec and reactor supplier Korea Electric Power Corporation completed all major construction work including major concrete pouring, installation of the turbine generator, and the internal components of the RPV at Unit 3.

Enec said that as of the end of October 2018, Unit 3 is more than 86% complete, with Units 1 to 4 more than 91% complete overall.

In March 2018 Enec and Kepco held a ceremony at the site to mark the official completion of Barakah 1’s construction, but did not give a schedule for commercial operation.

In May 2018 Enec said the loading of nuclear fuel assemblies for commercial operation at Barakah-1 had been delayed to the end of 2019 and early 2020.

The updated schedule was announced following “a comprehensive operational readiness review” by Nawah Energy Company, the joint venture company formed by Enec and Kepco to operate the Barakah station.

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