The Emirates Nuclear Energy Company (ENEC) and Framatome have announced the fabrication by Framatome of the first lead fuel assemblies in Richland, US, for the Barakah Nuclear Energy Plant, ENEC’s nuclear energy facility in the UAE.
The
lead fuel assemblies were manufactured at Framatome’s state-of-the-art facility
in Richland, Washington State, leveraging decades of expertise and adhering to
the highest standards of quality and safety, and will now be delivered as
complete nuclear fuel assemblies for testing at the Barakah Plant.
Mohamed Al Hammadi, Managing Director and Group Chief Executive Officer of ENEC, said: “Our partnership with Framatome is an important component of our wider strategy to ensure a resilient fuel supply for Barakah. Framatome’s expertise and manufacturing capabilities align perfectly with ENEC’s commitment to the highest safety and performance standards - by strengthening Barakah’s fuel supply chain, we are supporting continued operational excellence and always-on power generation at Barakah to power the nation’s leading industries, businesses and of course our communities.’’
Grégoire
Ponchon, CEO of Framatome, said: “This milestone demonstrates the strength of
our partnership with ENEC and our shared commitment to supporting the UAE’s
clean energy ambitions. The successful fabrication of the first lead fuel
assemblies is a testament to the dedication and expertise of our teams, and it
underscores Framatome’s role as a trusted partner in the global nuclear
industry. We look forward to continuing our collaboration with ENEC to ensure
the safe and efficient operation of the Barakah Plant.”
A comprehensive testing programme will take place prior to commercial use as part of ENEC’s fuel qualification programme.
This programme is designed to rigorously evaluate and verify the safety, compatibility, and performance of the new fuel design under actual operating conditions at the Barakah plant.
Following completion and validation, ENEC will then move forward with the integration of these assemblies, supporting both operational reliability and regulatory compliance.
The assemblies are produced at Framatome’s NRC-licensed Richland facility, which has received the US regulator’s highest Licensee Performance Review rating for 18 consecutive years, drawing on over 40 years’ experience with Combustion Engineering reactor fuel, with over 6,000 assemblies of this type supplied, it said.
Framatome will also provide engineering support services from its US headquarters in Lynchburg, Virginia. -TradeArabia News Service
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