Three times more the total volume of concrete and man hours used in the construction of the Burj Khalifa have already been used at the UAE's first nuclear energy plant Barakah, making the construction site of identical reactors the biggest in the world.

More than 1,400,000 cubic yards of concrete has already been used in the construction of Barakah Units 1- 4, and this is approximately 50 per cent of the total concrete that will be used on these structures once the plant is expected to be fully complete by 2020. The total volume of concrete used in the Burj Khalifa was 431,600 cubic yards.

Approximately 63 million man hours have been invested in the construction of the units. This is almost three times the man hours required to complete construction of the Burj Khalifa (22 million man-hours).

Barakah, located in the Western Region of Abu Dhabi, surpasses nuclear construction sites in China, the US, the UK, Russia and other countries to become the largest project with simultaneous construction of identical nuclear technology in the world.

Under the patronage of Suhail Mohamed Faraj Al Mazrouei, UAE Minister of Energy, the Emirates Nuclear Energy Corporation (Enec) on Wednesday celebrated a milestone for the UAE peaceful nuclear energy programme. Barakah has become the world's leading nuclear energy construction site with four identical reactors being safely constructed simultaneously on one site.

The milestone was achieved following the commencement of nuclear-related construction - regulated construction activity related directly to the reactor, containment building and supporting structures - for Unit 4, UAE's fourth nuclear energy reactor. Enec's Construction Licence for Units 3 and 4 was approved by the Federal Authority of Nuclear Regulation (FANR) in September 2014.

With the construction of four identical nuclear energy reactors now under way, Barakah surpasses nuclear construction sites in China, US, the UK, Russia and other countries to become the largest project with simultaneous construction of identical nuclear technology in the world.

The UAE's first nuclear energy plant is located at Barakah in the Western Region of Abu Dhabi, about 50 km west of Ruwais. Unit 1 is now 75 per cent complete and all four units are more than 50 per cent complete.

By 2020, Enec's team will be responsible for the operations of four nuclear energy units that are expected to provide up to a quarter of our nation's electricity needs and to save up to 12 million tonnes of carbon emissions every year. In 2017, Enec's first unit is scheduled for completion, with additional units following at 12-month intervals. Unit 4 is set to commence commercial operations in 2020, pending regulatory reviews and licensing.

An exclusive tour to Barakah units

During the event, Minister Al Mazrouei, along with Enec's Board of Directors and key government officials, visited the site to receive an update given by Enec CEO Mohamed Al Hammadi on the company's programme to deliver safe, clean and reliable nuclear electricity in 2017.

Following this, the delegation attended an official ceremony to mark Barakah as the world's leading nuclear energy construction site. The ceremony was headed by Al Mazrouei, who unveiled a plaque to commemorate this significant milestone.

"Nuclear energy will play a critical role in the provision of sustainable energy to power the future of the UAE and, while the pace and sophistication of this historic programme continues to grow, I am consistently impressed to see Enec deliver its project to the highest international standards of safety, quality and performance. This approach ensures the long-term sustainability of the UAE peaceful nuclear energy programme."

Since its inception in 2009, Enec has focused on the safe delivery of the UAE peaceful nuclear energy programme, expertly managing the complexity of the site development to ensure that all construction work meets the highest standards of safety and quality.

"We now have more than 18,000 staff at Barakah working diligently to safely deliver on our mission to connect safe, clean, reliable and efficient nuclear energy to the UAE in 2017."

Ensuring safety

The complex and extensive construction programme under way at Barakah is the key focus of Enec's Culture of Safety efforts. The organisation is committed to ensuring all activities are performed with safety top of mind at all times, to be certain the Barakah site remains a safe workplace for thousands of employees every day.

As part of the organisation's commitment to safety, Enec has also established a rigorous independent Quality Assurance (QA) programme to ensure that the UAE's first nuclear power plants are constructed, commissioned and operated in line with the best industry practices, governing codes and standards, regulations and license requirements.

Preparation works under way

Ahead of the start of official construction for Unit 4, preparation works for Enec's fourth reactor were carried out under a separate license over the past seven months. The extensive preparation included lean-concrete to provide a mud-mat, waterproofing, cathodic protection and reinforcing steel installation.

Since the beginning of its programme, Enec has illustrated its ability and commitment to meeting the ambitious milestones of the UAE's policy on the development of nuclear energy.

To date, 13 key project contract milestones have been delivered safely and on time, and the organisation remains focused on the safe and on-schedule achievement of its next major program milestone - the first fuel load for Unit 1 in 2016. This critical program milestone will see the alignment of the organization to ensure that construction, operations and all necessary support functions are coordinated and running efficiently in order to safely receive the UAE's first batch of nuclear fuel.