UAE-completes-Barakah-nuclear-power-plant

UAE brings Barakah Nuclear Energy Plant on line

ABU DHABI, September 6, 2024 – Emirates Nuclear Energy Corporation (ENEC) has launched the fourth unit of the Barakah Nuclear Energy Plant into commercial operations, marking the completion and full delivery of the facility, ENEC announced on Thursday.

The Barakah plant consists of four identical APR1400 reactors housed in four separate units, with a total power generation capacity of up to 5.6 GW. It is the first multi-unit operational nuclear plant in the region and, with the completion of the fourth reactor, it is able to generate 40TWh of electricity per year, representing approximately 25% of the UAE’s electricity demand.

The power will be distributed both to households and to industrial companies including ADNOC, Emirates Steel and Emirates Global Aluminum. ENEC estimates the plant will prevent the release of 22.4 million tons of carbon emissions per year and will contribute to achieving 24% of the UAE’s 2030 decarbonization commitments.

“The Barakah nuclear energy plant demonstrates that nuclear energy is bankable and can be delivered efficiently, with our units coming online within eight years from first concrete pour to fuel load and achieving a 40% improvement in schedule from the start of operational readiness to commercial operations for Unit 4 compared to Unit 1,” said Mohamed Al Hammadi, managing director and CEO of ENEC.

The Barakah plant will also help Emirati companies decarbonise, as 85% of the clean energy certificates managed by the Emirates Water and Electricity Company are powered by the facility. The certificates are used by companies such as ADNOC and Emirates Steel Arkan to confirm the source of their clean energy usage, allowing them to achieve sustainability goals.