Unit 4 of the Barakah Nuclear Energy Plant has successfully started up. Photo: Emirates Nuclear Energy Corporation
Unit 4 of the Barakah Nuclear Energy Plant has successfully started up. Photo: Emirates Nuclear Energy Corporation
Unit 4 of the Barakah Nuclear Energy Plant has successfully started up. Photo: Emirates Nuclear Energy Corporation
Unit 4 of the Barakah Nuclear Energy Plant has successfully started up. Photo: Emirates Nuclear Energy Corporation

Fourth unit at Abu Dhabi's Barakah nuclear plant is started up


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The reactor of the fourth and final unit of the Barakah Nuclear Energy Plant has been successfully started up, the Emirates Nuclear Energy Corporation (ENEC) announced on Friday.

The start-up of Unit 4 at the Barakah Plant is the first time it has produced heat through nuclear fission. The heat is used to create steam, turning a turbine to generate electricity.

In the coming weeks it is expected that Unit 4 will be connected to the national energy grid, entering a testing phase to gradually increase its power output to full capacity.

“The start-up of the fourth unit of the Barakah Nuclear Energy Plant is a significant achievement as we now enter into a new era to deliver the full promise of the Barakah Plant,” said Mohamed Al Hammadi, managing director and chief executive of ENEC.

“In the past five years, the UAE has added more clean electricity per capita than any other nation globally, with 75 per cent coming solely from the Barakah Plant, demonstrating how pivotal nuclear energy is in decarbonising the country’s power sector.

“The knowledge and expertise of our local teams positions us well ahead of the curve, setting the nation on a pioneering course towards sustainable economic and environmental prosperity.

“Our journey reflects a bold vision, coupled with rigorous standards of quality and safety, to effectively deploy civil nuclear energy as a proven, viable solution for tackling energy security and climate change.”

Unit 4 of the Barakah nuclear plant will be connected to the national grid, before entering a testing phase. Photo: Emirates Nuclear Energy Corporation
Unit 4 of the Barakah nuclear plant will be connected to the national grid, before entering a testing phase. Photo: Emirates Nuclear Energy Corporation

Capacity for clean energy

Commercial operations will begin once testing is complete.

Unit 4 will take the total capacity of the Barakah Plant to 5,600 megawatts of zero-carbon emission electricity to meet 25 per cent of the UAE’s electricity demand, according to a statement from Abu Dhabi Media Office.

Today's announcement comes just months after nations signed a historic accord, at the Cop28 climate change conference in Dubai, to cut back on fossil fuel use.

The Federal Authority for Nuclear Regulation (FANR) issued the first operating licence for Unit 1 at the Barakah Plant in February 2020 and another for Unit 2 in March 2021.

Commercial operations at Unit 1 started in April 2021, and in its first year it prevented the release of more than five million tonnes of carbon emissions by replacing the power that would previously have been generated by fossil fuels.

It was the equivalent of more than “one million cars driven for a year”, the ENEC said.

The Barakah is expected to produce 85 per cent of Abu Dhabi’s clean electricity by 2025, and will be the biggest contributor to reducing the national power sector’s carbon emissions.

Nuclear power is regarded as a clean energy because it does not create the same harmful emissions that fossil fuels like oil and gas do.

Barakah nuclear plant – in pictures

  • The UAE has issued an operating licence for the fourth and final unit of its Barakah Nuclear Energy Plant. FANR
    The UAE has issued an operating licence for the fourth and final unit of its Barakah Nuclear Energy Plant. FANR
  • Unit three of Abu Dhabi's Barakah Nuclear Energy Plant started commercial operations in February. Photo: Emirates Nuclear Energy Corporation
    Unit three of Abu Dhabi's Barakah Nuclear Energy Plant started commercial operations in February. Photo: Emirates Nuclear Energy Corporation
  • A view of the Barakah nuclear site under construction in 2012.
    A view of the Barakah nuclear site under construction in 2012.
  • Unit 1 being built in 2013 in the Western region of Abu Dhabi.
    Unit 1 being built in 2013 in the Western region of Abu Dhabi.
  • The Emirates Nuclear Energy Corporation selected a Korean consortium in 2013 to build four APR-1400 reactors. Photo: Enec
    The Emirates Nuclear Energy Corporation selected a Korean consortium in 2013 to build four APR-1400 reactors. Photo: Enec
  • Kristine Svinicki, head of the US Nuclear Regulatory Commission, toured the Barakah site in November 2013. Photo: Enec
    Kristine Svinicki, head of the US Nuclear Regulatory Commission, toured the Barakah site in November 2013. Photo: Enec
  • By August 2014, more than 55 per cent of construction at Unit 1 had been completed. Photo: Enec
    By August 2014, more than 55 per cent of construction at Unit 1 had been completed. Photo: Enec
  • The first nuclear reactor at Barakah in 2016. Christopher Pike / The National
    The first nuclear reactor at Barakah in 2016. Christopher Pike / The National
  • The UAE's nuclear energy programme is based in Barakah in the Western Region of Abu Dhabi. Photo: Enec
    The UAE's nuclear energy programme is based in Barakah in the Western Region of Abu Dhabi. Photo: Enec
  • Trainees learn to deal with potentially catastrophic scenarios at this simulator in Barakah. Christopher Pike / The National
    Trainees learn to deal with potentially catastrophic scenarios at this simulator in Barakah. Christopher Pike / The National
  • Khalid Naqbi was part of the first batch of resident inspectors sent to the construction site by the Federal Authority for Nuclear Regulation. Ravindranath K / The National
    Khalid Naqbi was part of the first batch of resident inspectors sent to the construction site by the Federal Authority for Nuclear Regulation. Ravindranath K / The National
War 2

Director: Ayan Mukerji

Stars: Hrithik Roshan, NTR, Kiara Advani, Ashutosh Rana

Rating: 2/5

About Housecall

Date started: July 2020

Founders: Omar and Humaid Alzaabi

Based: Abu Dhabi

Sector: HealthTech

# of staff: 10

Funding to date: Self-funded

The specs: 2018 Nissan 370Z Nismo

The specs: 2018 Nissan 370Z Nismo
Price, base / as tested: Dh182,178
Engine: 3.7-litre V6
Power: 350hp @ 7,400rpm
Torque: 374Nm @ 5,200rpm
Transmission: Seven-speed automatic
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Feeding the thousands for iftar

Six industrial scale vats of 500litres each are used to cook the kanji or broth 

Each vat contains kanji or porridge to feed 1,000 people

The rice porridge is poured into a 500ml plastic box

350 plastic tubs are placed in one container trolley

Each aluminium container trolley weighing 300kg is unloaded by a small crane fitted on a truck

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A timeline of the Historical Dictionary of the Arabic Language
  • 2018: Formal work begins
  • November 2021: First 17 volumes launched 
  • November 2022: Additional 19 volumes released
  • October 2023: Another 31 volumes released
  • November 2024: All 127 volumes completed
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·         Set the table the night before. It’s a small job but it will make you feel more organised once done.

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UAE currency: the story behind the money in your pockets
THE BIO

Bio Box

Role Model: Sheikh Zayed, God bless his soul

Favorite book: Zayed Biography of the leader

Favorite quote: To be or not to be, that is the question, from William Shakespeare's Hamlet

Favorite food: seafood

Favorite place to travel: Lebanon

Favorite movie: Braveheart

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THE LIGHT

Director: Tom Tykwer

Starring: Tala Al Deen, Nicolette Krebitz, Lars Eidinger

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Iraq negotiating over Iran sanctions impact
  • US sanctions on Iran’s energy industry and exports took effect on Monday, November 5.
  • Washington issued formal waivers to eight buyers of Iranian oil, allowing them to continue limited imports. Iraq did not receive a waiver.
  • Iraq’s government is cooperating with the US to contain Iranian influence in the country, and increased Iraqi oil production is helping to make up for Iranian crude that sanctions are blocking from markets, US officials say.
  • Iraq, the second-biggest producer in the Organization of Petroleum Exporting Countries, pumped last month at a record 4.78 million barrels a day, former Oil Minister Jabbar Al-Luaibi said on Oct. 20. Iraq exported 3.83 million barrels a day last month, according to tanker tracking and data from port agents.
  • Iraq has been working to restore production at its northern Kirkuk oil field. Kirkuk could add 200,000 barrels a day of oil to Iraq’s total output, Hook said.
  • The country stopped trucking Kirkuk oil to Iran about three weeks ago, in line with U.S. sanctions, according to four people with knowledge of the matter who asked not to be identified because they aren’t allowed to speak to media.
  • Oil exports from Iran, OPEC’s third-largest supplier, have slumped since President Donald Trump announced in May that he’d reimpose sanctions. Iran shipped about 1.76 million barrels a day in October out of 3.42 million in total production, data compiled by Bloomberg show.
  • Benchmark Brent crude fell 47 cents to $72.70 a barrel in London trading at 7:26 a.m. local time. U.S. West Texas Intermediate was 25 cents lower at $62.85 a barrel in New York. WTI held near the lowest level in seven months as concerns of a tightening market eased after the U.S. granted its waivers to buyers of Iranian crude.
UAE currency: the story behind the money in your pockets
MATCH INFO

Burnley 1 (Brady 89')

Manchester City 4 (Jesus 24', 50', Rodri 68', Mahrez 87')

Updated: March 01, 2024, 2:46 PM