The International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) said it was “glad” with the manner in which UAE’s Barakah Nuclear Power Plant, had strengthened its operational safety.
An IAEA team of experts said that the first nuclear power plant in the Arab region had fully addressed the findings of an initial IAEA safety review mission five years ago.
Anna Hajduk Bradford, IAEA Director of the Division of Nuclear Installation Safety, said in a statement: “IAEA safety review missions are essential in supporting our member states, particularly those who are embarking in a new nuclear power programme, to establish high standards using IAEA Safety Standards as the basis from the beginning.
“We are glad to witness the improvement that has been made using the Operational Safety Review Team (OSART) mission service. We will encourage the Barakah NPP to continue to take full advantage of the IAEA review service and support in the future.”
The five-member team comprised experts from Finland, Hungary and the United Kingdom, and two IAEA officials.
Kari Maekelae, mission team leader and Senior Safety Officer at the IAEA Department of Nuclear Safety and Security, said: “The plant has completed corrective actions to address all of the findings of the mission in 2017. We are pleased to observe significant improvement.
“The team encourages the plant to continue to apply the relevant corrective actions to Unit 4, which is currently under construction.”
The pre-OSART team in 2017 had carried out extensive review of the site and had pointed out a few things. After the recent visit, the IAEA remarked on the following:
- The plant has enhanced the effectiveness of its management in-field programme.
- The plant has improved its operating experience programme.
- The plant has established a comprehensive accident management programme and demonstrated the capability of the mobile equipment under simulated severe accident conditions.
The OSART had concluded a five-day follow up mission, which focused on Unit 1 of the plant, and was carried out at the request of the Government of the UAE to evaluate progress in addressing the findings of the IAEA’s pre-OSART mission that took place in 2017, three years prior to the start of operations in 2020.
Mohamed Ibrahim Al Hammadi, managing director and CEO of ENEC, added: “It has been a pleasure to host the IAEA at Barakah as part of our commitment to transparent operations, and in line with all national regulations and international standards.
“We thoroughly analysed the findings of 2017 and developed a comprehensive action plan to address these ahead of starting operations in 2020. We are pleased that the IAEA OSART team has identified that all of these findings have been successfully resolved, moving our operational safety performance to a new level.”
The Barakah plant, owned by the Emirates Nuclear Energy Corporation (ENEC), is located in the Al Dhafra region of Abu Dhabi emirate, 280 km west of the capital. Two 1400 MW pressurised water reactors have been operational since 2020 and 2021. The third unit is due to start in coming months, with all four units due online by 2025.
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