French power utility EDF has signed a long-term framework agreement with Emirates Nuclear Energy Corporation's (ENEC) subsidiary Nawah Energy Company (Nawah) to provide a range of services to support it in operating and maintaining the Barakah nuclear power plant in the western region of Abu Dhabi. EDF will be in charge of engineering studies, on-site support, training and benchmarking sessions and will provide services in the area of operational safety, radiation protection, fuel-cycle management and environmental monitoring.
The US$24.4bn Barakah facility is being built by Korea Hydro & Nuclear Power (KHNP), a unit of Korea Electric Power Corporation (Kepco). It includes four 1,400 MW reactors (first export for the South Korean APR-1400 reactor), for a total capacity of 5,600 MW.
The first unit is slated to start operations between the end of 2019 and the beginning of 2020 while the three remaining units are all scheduled for completion later in 2020. Once operational, the power plant will cover almost 25% of the domestic electricity needs.