Abu Dhabi -based Emirates Nuclear Energy (Enee) has announced that a total of three consortia have made it onto the prequalificati on shortlist to build the UAE's first nuclear power station. The three shortlisted parties are a French consortium of G-DF Suez, Areva and Total; Japan's Hitachi with GE Energy of the United States; and a South Korean partnership of Korea Electric Power Corporation (Kepco) with Hyundai Engineering & Construction. In April, Enec said it would continue talks with the shortlisted teams into the third quarter of 2009, when the UAE plans to award a contract.

The winning party is set to work with Enec on the design, construction, operation and maintenance of its nuclear plants, which will use generation 3 or 3+ light-water reactors. The UAE government will set up a joint venture company with the winning consortium, employing a similar model to that used by the emirate of Abu Dhabi for the development of IWPPs.

Construction of the first nuclear plant will start in 2012, with the first reactor due on line in 2017.

Copyright PennWell Corporation Jun 2009

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