The Emirates Nuclear Energy Corporation (ENEC) has announced that it has safely and successfully energised Unit 3’s main power transformer and gas insulated bus (GIB) at the Barakah Nuclear Energy Plant. The step is said to be another key milestone in the construction of Unit 3, as well as an important step in the testing and commissioning of the plant.

In addition to the main transformer and GIB, Unit 3’s auxiliary power transformers and excitation transformer were energised safely and successfully in normal operating configuration, ENEC said.

According to a statement, the work was performed with the approval and support of Abu Dhabi Transmission & Despatch Company (Transco), and comes approximately one year after the completion of similar work on Unit 2, and two years after the completion of the same work on Unit 1. ENEC said that this demonstrates the benefits of building four identical units at the same time.

“I am proud of the continued progress being made at Unit 3 of the Barakah Nuclear Energy Plant. We have maintained our track record of safety and efficiency with the successful energization of the unit’s transformers, and we continue to establish Barakah as the benchmark for new nuclear construction projects worldwide,” said Engineer Mohamed Al Hammadi, chief executive officer of ENEC.

Following this milestone, ENEC explained that the testing and commissioning teams will begin preparing for the commencement of hot functional testing (HFT) at Unit 3, and will implement lessons learned during their testing of Units 1 and 2. The HFT is said to take place over several weeks and consists of almost 200 individual and integrated tests performed on major systems to check their performance under normal operational conditions, without the presence of nuclear fuel in the reactor vessel.

“This construction milestone was achieved as a result of our extensive collaboration with our prime contractor and joint venture partner, the Korea Electric Power Corporation (KEPCO), as well as expert teams from Nawah Energy Company and Abu Dhabi Transmission & Despatch Company,” added Al Hammadi.

ENEC stated that the construction of the Barakah plant is progressing steadily. The latest construction completion percentages showed Unit 2 at 95%, Unit 3 at over 91%, and Unit 4 at more than 82%. Overall construction completion is said to stand at over 93%.

Unit 1’s construction has been completed in accordance with the highest global standards of quality and safety, and it is currently undergoing commissioning and testing, prior to regulatory review and receipt of the Operating Licence from the FANR, ENEC remarked.