UAE: Barakah nuclear plant to generate almost 25% of electricity needs with Unit 4 start-up

The Barakah Nuclear Energy Plant has moved closer to generating 25 per cent of UAE’s electricity needs with the start-up of the fourth unit.

The Emirates Nuclear Energy Corporation (ENEC) announced that its operating and maintenance subsidiary, Nawah Energy Company, has successfully started up the final reactor, which indicates a major step towards commercial operations.

The start-up of Unit 4 at the Barakah Plant marks its initial production of heat through nuclear fission, used for generating electricity by turning a turbine with steam. In the coming weeks, Unit 4 will link to the national electricity grid, entering a testing phase to gradually increase its power output to full capacity.

“The start-up of the fourth unit of the Barakah Nuclear Energy Plant is a significant achievement as we now enter into a new era to deliver the full promise of the Barakah Plant,” Mohamed Al Hammadi, managing director and CEO of ENEC, said.

Barakah is the first multi-unit operational nuclear plant in the Arab world. The plant uses four APR-1400 pressurised water reactors capable of each producing up to 1,400 megawatts of clean electricity. Each Unit has been started up more efficiently than the previous unit, as institutional knowledge and experience are applied to each subsequent unit. Unit 3 was delivered four months faster than the Unit 2 schedule, and five months faster than the Unit 1 schedule, demonstrating the significant benefit of building multiple units within a phased timeline.

“In the past five years, the UAE has added more clean electricity per capita than any other nation globally, with 75 per cent coming solely from the Barakah Plant, demonstrating how pivotal nuclear energy is in decarbonising the country’s power sector,” Al Hammadi noted.

Once the testing is complete and commercial operations begin, Unit 4 will take the total capacity of the Barakah Plant to 5,600 megawatts of zero-carbon emission electricity to meet 25 per cent of the UAE’s electricity demand.

Barakah Plant accelerates decarbonisation of the UAE grid and achievement of Net Zero by 2050 target. It will contribute to a quarter of the country’s carbon-reduction commitments, known as the Nationally Determined Contribution (NDC) under the United Nation’s Paris Agreement to meet global climate change goals.

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