The Emirates Nuclear Energy Corporation (Enec) has announced that the fourth and final unit at the Barakah Nuclear Energy Plant in Abu Dhabi has begun its operational readiness preparations. 

 

The Barakah team is now gearing up for the operational readiness testing, which is required to demonstrate the unit is ready to receive the Operating Licence from the UAE’s independent nuclear regulator, the Federal Authority for Nuclear Regulation (FANR), said Enec in a statement. 

 

The lessons learnt from the previous three units have been effectively applied to the next unit, ensuring the swift and safe transition to operational readiness, with each unit passing through the phases of preparation in a more efficient manner while maintaining the same standards of quality and safety, it stated.

 

The news comes following commercial operations of Unit 3 earlier in 2023, which joined Units 1 and 2 in generating 30TWh annually. 

 

Once commercially operational, Unit 4 will raise the Barakah Plant’s total clean electricity generation capacity to 5.6GW, equivalent to 25% of the UAE’s electricity needs, delivering more than 40TWh of clean electricity per year.

 

The Barakah Plant has already had a transformational impact on the UAE’s energy landscape, spearheading the rapid decarbonization of the UAE’s power sector and over the winter months, the Plant met up to 48% of Abu Dhabi’s electricity requirements with zero-carbon electricity. 

 

Enec Managing Director and CEO Mohamed Ibrahim Al Hammadi said: "In the UAE’s Year of Sustainability, we are demonstrating how nuclear energy can have a real, rapid and transformative impact on decarbonizing the power sector. Every year since 2020, we have added another unit to deliver 10TWh of 24/7, emissions free power to the grid."

 

"With Unit 4 now moving towards becoming operational we will soon meet our mission to generate 25% of the nation’s electricity. Barakah offers a clear success story as we head towards COP 28 in Dubai, where attendees will be looking for solutions to the climate crisis and are increasingly recognizing the critical role proven nuclear energy technology will play," he added.-TradeArabia News Service