UAE's first nuclear reactor to begin operations by early 2020

The unit 1 of UAE's Barakah Nuclear Energy Plant will commence operations between the end of 2019 and early 2020, Nawah Energy Company, the plant’s operator, said in a statement on Saturday.

Following the recent construction of Unit 1 by the Emirates Nuclear Energy Corporation (Enec) and joint venture partner, the Korea Electric Power Corporation (Kepco), Nawah said it "has completed a comprehensive operational readiness review to generate an updated schedule for the start-up of the first peaceful nuclear energy reactor in the Arab world".

“The results of Nawah’s review forecast that the loading of nuclear fuel assemblies required to commence nuclear operations at Barakah Unit 1 will occur between the end of 2019 and early 2020,” the statement added.

The review was led by Nawah’s team of nuclear experts, as well as the participation of Enec, and international nuclear experts.

“The resulting projection for the start-up of Unit 1 operations reflects the time required for the plant’s nuclear operators to complete operational readiness activities and to obtain necessary regulatory approvals.

"Only after all preparations for nuclear operations are successfully completed and Nawah has received an operating licence for Unit 1 from Federal Authority for Nuclear Regulation (FANR), will operators begin to load nuclear fuel assemblies and initiate operations," the statement said.