''The first reactor in the UAE was connected in 2020 ''
Built by SK
First work on it --------- 2008
Switch on 2020 -------
12 years. -------------- Cost - about $25 million US -----ie. Aussie $37 million
and it was priced in 2009 ------------- so add to that 15 years of inflation - the current price would be about US 35.3 Million - or Aussie $55.3 millon and that's just inflation, not accounting for the huge leap in construction costs.
The process to build the first nuclear power station in the United Arab Emirates, the Barakah Nuclear Power Plant, spanned several years. Here is a detailed timeline:
1. **Initial Agreements and Planning (2008-2009)**: - In April 2008, the UAE published a comprehensive policy on nuclear energy, which laid the foundation for its nuclear program[4]. - In December 2009, the Emirates Nuclear Energy Corporation (ENEC) awarded a $20 billion contract to a South Korean consortium led by Korea Electric Power Corporation (KEPCO) to build the Barakah plant[1].
2. **Construction Phase (2012-2020)**: - Construction of the first unit began in 2012[5]. - The first reactor, Unit 1, was completed in 2018 and started up in July 2020, reaching full power by December 2020[5]. - The remaining three reactors were planned to start operating successively between 2017 and 2020[1].
3. **Operational Phase (2020-Present)**: - As of March 2024, all four reactors at the Barakah Nuclear Power Plant are fully operational, producing 5,348 MWe of electricity[1].
In summary, the entire process from the initial agreements and planning in 2008 to the full operational status of all four reactors in 2024 took approximately 16 years.
The final price for the first nuclear power station in the United Arab Emirates, the Barakah nuclear power plant, is estimated to be around $25 billion. This figure is derived from various sources, including a Bloomberg report and other financial assessments[2][3]. Initially, the project was awarded to a South Korean consortium led by Korea Electric Power Corporation (KEPCO) with a bid of $20 billion, but subsequent detailed financial agreements and additional costs brought the total to approximately $25 billion[2][3].
