Barakah's Unit 1 is single largest electricity generator in UAE

Abu Dhabi - It generates thousands of megawatts of carbon-free electricity every day.

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By Ashwani Kumar​

Published: Tue 6 Apr 2021, 8:26 PM

The Unit 1 of the Barakah Nuclear Power Plant in Abu Dhabi’s Al Dhafra region has started commercial operations.

Simply put, it means households and businesses across the country have started receiving low-carbon and clean electricity from Tuesday.

Commercial operations mean the testing phase of the Unit 1 of the nuclear reactor is over, it has met all national requirements and international standards, and that reliable and sustainable electricity is being delivered round the clock, seven days a week for the next 60 years.

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The only halt will be every 12 to 18 months for refuelling.

Unit 1 generates 1,400 MW of clean electricity. And today, Unit 1 is the largest single generator connected to the UAE grid, generating thousands of megawatts of carbon-free electricity every single day.

And once the other three units at the plant are fully operational, 5,600 MW of electricity will be produced, which is enough to power 574,000 households in the UAE.

The four units will power 25 per cent of UAE’s electricity needs. The Barakah plant is a proven solution to climate change, preventing 21 million tonnes of carbon emissions or equal to removing 3.2 million cars off the roads annually.

The commercial operation is a result of a decade of effort by a multinational, Emirati-led team to deliver on the commitments made in 2008 in providing clean electricity to the UAE.

Unit 2 has now completed the fuel load process and construction of Units 3 and 4 are in the final stages with the Units 94 per cent and 89 per cent complete respectively.

File photo

UAE
Ashwani Kumar​

Published: Tue 6 Apr 2021, 8:26 PM

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