Emirates Nuclear Energy Corporation (ENEC) has announced the completion of the construction of the third reactor at the Barakah Nuclear Energy Plant in Abu Dhabi.
Unit 3 has now been handed over for operational readiness activities and is on track to start up and deliver clean electricity in 2023, a statement said.
The third unit will join Unit 1 which is fully operational and Unit 2 which is connected to the UAE grid and undergoing testing while raising power levels.
The announcement was made on the sidelines of the United Nations Conference of the Parties (COP) 26 on climate change and is part of the UAE’s plan to transition to cleaner energy sources.
As the UAE’s bid to host COP 28 in 2023 is endorsed by the member states of the UN’s Asia Pacific group, this milestone means that the Barakah plant will soons deliver another 1400MW of zero emissions electricity.
By 2025, it is projected that the Barakah plant will have cut Abu Dhabi’s carbon emissions by 50 percent.
The focus of Unit 3 in the next phase will shift to complete the operational readiness preparations, testing, regulatory inspections, and international assessments required to obtain the operating licence from the UAE’s independent nuclear regulator, the Federal Authority for Nuclear Regulation (FANR).
Mohamed Ibrahim Al Hammadi, managing director and CEO of ENEC, said: “With Unit 1 already commercially operating and Unit 2 recently connected to the UAE grid, Unit 3 construction completion demonstrates the steady progress we are making with the development of the Barakah Nuclear Energy Plant.
“As the world gathers at COP26 in Glasgow, Scotland, the need for concrete actions to tackle climate change is indisputable and urgent. 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 towards 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.”
The Barakah plant, located in the Al Dhafra region of Abu Dhabi, is one of the largest nuclear energy plants in the world, with four APR-1400 units.
Construction began in 2012 and the development of the Barakah plant as a whole is now more than 96 percent complete.
When fully operational, the plant will produce 5.6 gigawatts of free carbon electricity for more than 60 years to come.
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