UAE: Final reactor of Barakah nuclear power plant completed

The last of four nuclear reactors of the UAE's Barakah power plant has been completed — with fuel assemblies now loaded into Unit 4, the Emirates Nuclear Energy Corporation (Enec) announced on Tuesday.

The Federal Authority for Nuclear Regulation (FANR) recently issued the operating licence for Unit 4 to Enec's operating and maintenance subsidiary, Nawah Energy Company. With this milestone, the UAE is now one step closer to the full fleet operations of Barakah, the largest single source of clean electricity in the region.

Once operational, Unit 4 will enable the plant to generate 25 per cent of the UAE's electricity needs around the clock for the next 60 years.

Currently, three units of Barakah are operating at a commercial scale, generating more than 30TWh of zero-emission electricity every year.

Unit 4 will raise the Barakah plant's total clean electricity generation capacity to 5.6GW, delivering more than 40TWh of clean electricity per year, once commercial operations begin.

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Barakah is already preventing millions of tonnes of carbon emissions from reaching the atmosphere.

The operations team will now progress through a comprehensive testing programme prior to completing the start-up of Unit 4. Testing is undertaken under the continued oversight of the FANR.

What happens next

Once Unit 4 is connected to the national electricity grid, the operations team will continue to gradually raise power levels, known as Power Ascension Testing (PAT).

The phase will be continuously monitored and tested until maximum electricity production is reached, while adhering to all regulatory requirements and the highest international standards of safety, quality and security.

The Barakah plant has had a transformational impact on the UAE's energy landscape, spearheading the rapid decarbonisation of the UAE's heavy industries and hard-to-abate sectors.