UAE opens Barakah nuclear plant

Our Correspondent

On August 1, the UAE became the first country in the Arab world to begin peaceful nuclear energy production. The UAE successfully opened its Barakah nuclear plant according to a Twitter post by His Highness Sheikh Mohammed Bin Rashid Al Maktoum, Vice-President and Prime Minister of the UAE and Ruler of Dubai.

“Today we announce the UAE’s success in operating the first peaceful nuclear energy reactor in the Arab world, at Barakah Nuclear Energy Stations in Abu Dhabi. The work teams succeeded in loading nuclear fuel packages, carrying out comprehensive tests and successfully completing the operation. I bless my brother Mohammed bin Zayed for this achievement,” tweeted Sheikh Mohammed.

According to the tweet, the Barakah Nuclear Power Plant in Abu Dhabi emirate’s Al Dhafra area has successfully begun operations, after completing a nearly five-month commissioning phase. It will be operated and maintained by the Nawah Energy Company, a subsidiary of the Emirates Nuclear Energy Corporation (ENEC).

“The goal is to operate four nuclear power stations that will provide a quarter of the state’s need for electricity in a safe, reliable and emission-free way. The UAE splits the atom, and wants to explore the galaxy. This is a message to the world that the Arabs are able to resume their scientific path, and compete with the rest of the great nations,” Sheikh Mohammed tweeted.

His Highness Sheikh Mohamed Bin Zayed Al Nahyan, Crown Prince of Abu Dhabi and Deputy Supreme Commander of the UAE Armed Forces, also tweeted about the plant’s opening.

“In this phase, the operations team will increase the reactor power gradually until it reaches 15 per cent in order to be connected to the UAE power grid during the upcoming months, delivering the first megawatts of clean electricity,” the Abu Dhabi Media Office said.

“Today is a truly historic moment for the UAE,” said Mohamed Ibrahim Al Hammadi, chief executive officer at ENEC. “Despite the recent global challenges, our team has demonstrated outstanding resilience and commitment to the safe delivery of Unit 1. We are now another step closer to achieving our goal of supplying up to a quarter of our nation’s electricity needs and powering its future growth with safe, reliable and emissions-free electricity.”

The vision for the project was set by the country’s leadership in 2008 in order to deliver clean, abundant electricity for the nation. UAE stakeholders along with their Korean partners strove to make it a reality with the help of Emirati engineers , nuclear professionals and international experts.

The Unit 1 reactor is the first of four reactors at the Barakah nuclear site. When fully completed, all four reactors will contribute to 25 per cent of the UAE’s electricity generation and will also reduce CO2 emissions by 21 million tonnes annually.
The Federal Authority for Nuclear Energy (FANR) regulates the country’s nuclear sector.