Ducab has won a breakthrough contract to supply cabling for two South Korean nuclear plants.
The cable maker – jointly owned by Investment Corporation of Dubai and Senaat (General Holding Corporation, Abu Dhabi) – said yesterday that it will supply the bulk of cabling for the two Shin Hanul nuclear reactors being built for operator Korean Hydro-Nuclear Power (KHNP) in South Korea.
The contract is the first international nuclear business for Ducab. It was able to penetrate the traditionally closed South Korean market partly because of a major scandal two years ago, when a South Korean company supplying KHNP was found to have provided fraudulent certification.
Ducab also had the advantage of being the power cable supplier for the four APR1400 reactors at the Barakah site – the same design as Shin Hanul – being built by the Korea Electric Power Corporation/KHNP team in Abu Dhabi’s Western Region.
South Korea hopes to market its APR1400 design internationally, especially in the Middle East, where several countries have set out ambitious nuclear power goals.
The UAE’s programme, the first nuclear power project in the Gulf Arab states, is essential to those efforts.
Ducab will be supplying the “balance of plant” cabling, which accounts for most of the power cabling required by reactors outside the containment vesselitself, said Andrew Shaw, Ducab’s managing director. It is a “multimillion-dollar” contract, although KHNP did not want to disclose the exact value.
“A big part of us winning it was successfully supplying Kepco and KHNP here in the UAE,” said Mr Shaw.
“We have supplied a truckload of cabling but almost an equivalent truckload of paperwork and certification was required.”
Ducab has had to pass rigorous testing by, for example, the Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers in North America and others to determine whether it could withstand nuclear plant conditions over the 60-year projected life of the plants.
“Considering the sensitive and critical needs of a nuclear power facility, we conducted a proper audit,” said Seok Cho, the chief executive of KHNP. “Providing nuclear-grade materials is the highest form of quality mark and this is a major achievement.”
The first of the APR1400 design reactors ran into trouble at the end of 2013 when KHNP reported that control cabling installed by the Korean firm JS Cable had failed critical performance tests.
Earlier that year, regulators had found fraudulent certification of cabling from the same supplier across the industry, which led to nuclear plant shutdowns and power outages.
JS Cable’s parent company subsequently shut down the unit in mid-2014 to avoid further scandal, as KHNP sought alternative suppliers.
The Shin Kori 3 reactor, the first of the APR1400s scheduled to come into operation, was further delayed after a faulty valve supplied by GE led to an explosion that killed three KHNP workers in 2014.
The subsequent parts recall delayed start-up of Shin Kori 3 until January this year, about two years behind schedule, and also pushed back Shin Kori 4.
“The scandal did taint the ‘trustability’ of the local suppliers,” said Mr Shaw. “When the scandal hit, KHNP said, ‘right, we’ll open the door’. There has always been a bit of international competition but they thought the local industry let us down so now we’ll allow proper international competition.
“Nuclear business is normally so tightly held there, frankly for us in the UAE to win a major supply deal to the Korean market … for us to get on to such a national nuclear reactor cable supplier list is a pretty big deal.”
“Our nuclear cable team at Ducab worked hard to win this contract against well-established competition,” said Ahmad bin Hassan Al Shaikh, Ducab’s chairman.
“This project win by Ducab is a matter of pride for the company, as well as for the entire manufacturing and industrial sector in the UAE,” he said.
The nuclear project win will help cement plans for expansion, Ducab executives said.
The five Ducab UAE plants employ about 1,500 workers and the existing and new nuclear cable contracts will ensure the Mussaffah 2 factory in Abu Dhabi continues to run flat out, said Mr Shaw.
Ducab is also building a Dh220 million aluminium factory at Kizad, which is expected to create 120 new jobs.
Mr Shaw said that success with the KHNP contract will help Ducab become “part of the team” as and when Kepco/KHNP expands the APR1400 programme beyond Korea and the UAE.
amcauley@thenational.ae
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How to protect yourself when air quality drops
Install an air filter in your home.
Close your windows and turn on the AC.
Shower or bath after being outside.
Wear a face mask.
Stay indoors when conditions are particularly poor.
If driving, turn your engine off when stationary.
The specs
AT4 Ultimate, as tested
Engine: 6.2-litre V8
Power: 420hp
Torque: 623Nm
Transmission: 10-speed automatic
Price: From Dh330,800 (Elevation: Dh236,400; AT4: Dh286,800; Denali: Dh345,800)
On sale: Now
SPEC%20SHEET%3A%20APPLE%20M3%20MACBOOK%20AIR%20(13%22)
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Cryopreservation: A timeline
- Keyhole surgery under general anaesthetic
- Ovarian tissue surgically removed
- Tissue processed in a high-tech facility
- Tissue re-implanted at a time of the patient’s choosing
- Full hormone production regained within 4-6 months
Emergency
Director: Kangana Ranaut
Stars: Kangana Ranaut, Anupam Kher, Shreyas Talpade, Milind Soman, Mahima Chaudhry
Rating: 2/5
More from Neighbourhood Watch:
If you go
Where to stay: Courtyard by Marriott Titusville Kennedy Space Centre has unparalleled views of the Indian River. Alligators can be spotted from hotel room balconies, as can several rocket launch sites. The hotel also boasts cool space-themed decor.
When to go: Florida is best experienced during the winter months, from November to May, before the humidity kicks in.
How to get there: Emirates currently flies from Dubai to Orlando five times a week.
6 UNDERGROUND
Director: Michael Bay
Stars: Ryan Reynolds, Adria Arjona, Dave Franco
2.5 / 5 stars
From Zero
Artist: Linkin Park
Label: Warner Records
Number of tracks: 11
Rating: 4/5
Results
Stage seven
1. Tadej Pogacar (SLO) UAE Team Emirates, in 3:20:24
2. Adam Yates (GBR) Ineos Grenadiers, at 1s
3. Pello Bilbao (ESP) Bahrain-Victorious, at 5s
General Classification
1. Tadej Pogacar (SLO) UAE Team Emirates, in 25:38:16
2. Adam Yates (GBR) Ineos Grenadiers, at 22s
3. Pello Bilbao (ESP) Bahrain-Victorious, at 48s
Profile box
Founders: Michele Ferrario, Nino Ulsamer and Freddy Lim
Started: established in 2016 and launched in July 2017
Based: Singapore, with offices in the UAE, Malaysia, Hong Kong, Thailand
Sector: FinTech, wealth management
Initial investment: $500,000 in seed round 1 in 2016; $2.2m in seed round 2 in 2017; $5m in series A round in 2018; $12m in series B round in 2019; $16m in series C round in 2020 and $25m in series D round in 2021
Current staff: more than 160 employees
Stage: series D
Investors: EightRoads Ventures, Square Peg Capital, Sequoia Capital India
COMPANY PROFILE
Name: HyperSpace
Started: 2020
Founders: Alexander Heller, Rama Allen and Desi Gonzalez
Based: Dubai, UAE
Sector: Entertainment
Number of staff: 210
Investment raised: $75 million from investors including Galaxy Interactive, Riyadh Season, Sega Ventures and Apis Venture Partners
The specs
Engine: 77.4kW all-wheel-drive dual motor
Power: 320bhp
Torque: 605Nm
Transmission: Single-speed automatic
Price: From Dh219,000
On sale: Now
RIVER%20SPIRIT
%3Cp%3E%3Cstrong%3EAuthor%3A%20%3C%2Fstrong%3ELeila%20Aboulela%C2%A0%3C%2Fp%3E%0A%3Cp%3E%3Cstrong%3EPublisher%3A%3C%2Fstrong%3E%20Saqi%20Books%3C%2Fp%3E%0A%3Cp%3E%3Cstrong%3EPages%3A%3C%2Fstrong%3E%20320%3C%2Fp%3E%0A%3Cp%3E%3Cstrong%3EAvailable%3A%3C%2Fstrong%3E%20Now%3C%2Fp%3E%0A
Dubai Bling season three
Cast: Loujain Adada, Zeina Khoury, Farhana Bodi, Ebraheem Al Samadi, Mona Kattan, and couples Safa & Fahad Siddiqui and DJ Bliss & Danya Mohammed
Rating: 1/5
COMPANY%20PROFILE
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Other workplace saving schemes
- The UAE government announced a retirement savings plan for private and free zone sector employees in 2023.
- Dubai’s savings retirement scheme for foreign employees working in the emirate’s government and public sector came into effect in 2022.
- National Bonds unveiled a Golden Pension Scheme in 2022 to help private-sector foreign employees with their financial planning.
- In April 2021, Hayah Insurance unveiled a workplace savings plan to help UAE employees save for their retirement.
- Lunate, an Abu Dhabi-based investment manager, has launched a fund that will allow UAE private companies to offer employees investment returns on end-of-service benefits.
Vidaamuyarchi
Director: Magizh Thirumeni
Stars: Ajith Kumar, Arjun Sarja, Trisha Krishnan, Regina Cassandra
Rating: 4/5
The specs
Engine 60kwh FWD
Battery Rimac 120kwh Lithium Nickel Manganese Cobalt Oxide (LiNiMnCoO2) chemistry
Power 204hp Torque 360Nm
Price, base / as tested Dh174,500