The Barakah nuclear power plant. Unit 3 is the second from left. (Photo: Emirates Nuclear Energy Corporation)
The construction of Unit 3 at the United Arab Emirates’ Barakah nuclear power plant has been completed, the Emirates Nuclear Energy Corporation (ENEC) announced yesterday on the sidelines of COP26, the high-profile climate confab taking place in Scotland this week and next.
According to ENEC’s announcement, Barakah-3 will now undergo operational readiness activities and is on track to start up in 2023.
The Arab world’s first multiunit operating nuclear power facility, Barakah is located in the Al Dhafra region of Abu Dhabi, the UAE’s capital city. The site houses four 1,345-MWe APR-1400 pressurized water reactors. Unit 1 entered commercial operation in April, becoming the largest single electricity generator in the region. Unit 2, which was connected to the grid in September, is currently undergoing power ascension testing.
What they’re saying: “As the world gathers at COP26 in Glasgow, Scotland, the need for concrete actions to tackle climate change is indisputable and urgent,” said Mohamed Ibrahim Al Hammadi, ENEC’s managing director and chief executive officer. “The Barakah plant, with its rapid decarbonization of the power sector, is delivering climate solutions today, and with Unit 3 construction now complete, we are progressing smoothly toward supplying a quarter of the UAE’s electricity needs completely carbon free.
“By developing nuclear energy in the UAE, ENEC is enabling sustainable growth and prosperity for the nation through the provision of abundant, 24/7 clean electricity, whilst underpinning intermittent renewables and creating a bridge to other clean energy technologies like green hydrogen.”
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