South Korea begins building Abu Dhabi's first nuclear plant

The South Korean firm building Abu Dhabi's first nuclear power plant says it is on track to meet its target date of 2017.

"The target is fixed," said Hee-Yong Lee, the senior vice president for overseas nuclear at Korea Electric Power Corporation (Kepco). "We are on track."

Kepco has begun deploying thousands of workers to the reactor's coastal site at Barakah to build the US$20 billion power station in partnership with Emirates Nuclear Energy Corporation, the state-run company overseeing the programme.

The nuclear plant at Barakah and three other plants being built by Kepco in the UAE will be operated by the Barakah One Company. Each of the four nuclear reactor power-generating units located on a coastal strip some 220km from Abu Dhabi will have a generating capacity of 1,400 megawatts. These plants will be among the world’s largest nuclear power plants.

The UAE is the first country to embark on a new civil nuclear power programme since the 1986 Chernobyl disaster.

Kepco sees India, Saudi Arabia and other developing nations as potential nuclear export markets. It is currently building 10 reactors, including four in the UAE, and is facing a manpower shortage as it strives to recruit the 5,000 workers needs for all four UAE power plant projects.