Nuclear Reactor in Abu Dhabi

Nuclear Reactor in Abu Dhabi

Introduction

The UAE began construction of its first nuclear power plant in Baraka, town in western Abu Dhabi. The plant called Baraka Unit 1 will come into operation in 2017 and will have a generating capacity of 1400 megawatts (Solomon, 2009). The information is from the Emirates Nuclear Energy Corporation (ENEC), the government agency responsible for implementing the nuclear power program in the Emirates.

The construction of Baraka Unit 1 is under the responsibility of the contractor Korean Korea Electric Power Corporation and will last five years. Baraka was chosen for the construction of the plant after an extensive analysis of possible locations around the country. The factors analyzed included items such as historic seismic safety, away from large population centers, proximity to large water sources and environmental considerations.

The plant is designed to withstand extreme events such as tsunami, earthquake, and blackouts. In total, there are four nuclear power plants in Baraka (Smith, 2009). The second unit will start being built in 2013. The ENEC provides that all units will be operating by 2020. Moreover, according to the state agency, when the four plants are in operation, the UAE will no longer issue up to 12 million tons of carbon dioxide per year.

Discussion

The studies conducted by the world's leading energy companies in April 2008, following a request by the UAE government to provide a feasibility study in regards to the launch of Emirates nuclear program, the report came to light, later called Nuclear White Paper. In this document was the first to set out concrete proposals for possible technical solutions for the introduction of nuclear power in the overall power generating system of the country.

First of all, the UAE government came from dire predictions produced by the same foreign consulting companies Emirates acute shortage of electricity as early as 2020 if the government does not take urgent steps to create additional capacities for the production of electricity (Harrison, 2011). Despite the tremendous effort and considerable resources allocated Emirates on the creation and development of alternative energy sources, the real situation shows that the rapidly increasing energy consumption in the Gulf region in 2020 the UAE can provide only 6% -7% of its own needs (Coker, 2009).

To better understand the history of UAE nuclear program, it should be noted that in 1995 the UAE became party to the Treaty on the Nonproliferation of Nuclear Weapons (NPT). The NPT enshrines the inalienable right of all States parties to develop research, production, and use of nuclear energy for peaceful purposes without discrimination and in conformity with the treaty. The contract obliges its members to exchange for that purpose equipment, materials, and scientific and technological information, to promote non-nuclear states for benefits from any peaceful applications of nuclear explosions.

Abu Dhabi began to rapidly create the necessary legal and regulatory infrastructure and chose Korean company KEPCO as provider of the first batch of four nuclear reactors. KEPCO will also engage in the operation and maintenance of these ...