ABU DHABI (Sputnik) — The UAE Federal Authority for Nuclear Regulation (FANR) is still examining Units 1 and 2 of the Barakah nuclear power plant (NPP) before issuing an operating license and has no intention to delay the process, according to FANR Director General Christer Viktorsson.
The launch of the Barakah NPP was scheduled for 2017 but was pushed back to 2018, pending approval from the FANR, the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) and the World Association of Nuclear Operators (WANO).
"You have to get a construction license and you have to get an operation license. We issued construction license for Barakah 1 and 2 in 2012, and for Barakah 3 and 4 in 2015. They submitted an application for operation in 2015 of Reactor 1 and 2, that’s the one we are studying right now, as we have not issued the operating license for Barakah 1. We don’t know [when], probably next year if everything goes well… They need our operating license before they are allowed to fuel the reactor. We have no intention to delay if they are ready," Viktorsson told Sputnik on the sidelines of the IAEA-organized nuclear conference in Abu Dhabi.
The construction of NPP Unit 1 has been completed by a consortium led by Korea Electric Power Corporation (KEPCO), which was awarded funding for the project by the Emirates Nuclear Energy Corporation (ENEC) in 2009.
Viktorsson emphasized that the FANR was fully cooperating with the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) on the NPP.
