First unit at Barakah nuclear plant fully powers up

Unit 1 reaches 100 per cent, with commercial operations scheduled for early 2021

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  Some of the Emirati staff behind the nuclear project, which has been more than a decade in the making. All photos courtesy Fanr

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  The UAE's nuclear regulator issued an operating licence for the first reactor at Barakah in February 2020

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  Delivering the project has been a feat of engineering. As many as 18,000 people worked on the project at the height of construction.

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  Fifty-three Emiratis have recently been certified as senior reactor operators and many more will be needed in coming years

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  There is growing interest among new Emirati graduates to enter the nuclear training programmes

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  Nuclear plays a significant part in targets to reduce gas-fired power generation to 38 per cent by 2050, along with renewable energy from solar and some clean coal.

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  “The nuclear programme has huge upfront costs to provide a certain level of security," Hamad Al Kaabi said. "But once you make that investment in the construction of the plant, the operation and fuel cost is very minimal compared to the overall cost.

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  Sheikh Mohamed bin Zayed previously said Barakah is a "new chapter in our journey for the development of peaceful nuclear energy"

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  "As we prepare for the next 50 years to safeguard our needs, our biggest strength is national talent," Sheikh Mohamed said.

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  The four huge reactors at Barakah

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  Hamad Al Kaabi, the UAE's permanent representative to the International Atomic Energy Agency, and Christer Viktorsson, director general of the Federal Authority for Nuclear Regulation, speak about the first reactor to be licensed in February. Khushnum Bhandari for The National

The first unit at the UAE's Barakah nuclear plant is fully powered up.

The milestone takes Barakah a step closer to the start of commercial operations early next year, state news agency Wam reported.

At 100 per cent, Unit 1 is generating 1400 megawatts of electricity for the nation's grid. 
Once Barakah's four reactors are online, the plant will deliver clean, efficient and reliable electricity for decades, providing about a quarter of the country's electricity and eliminating up to 21 million tonnes of carbon emissions annually.

That is comparable to taking 3.2 million cars off the roads each year.

Unit 1 of Barakah Nuclear Power Plant is fully powered up. Courtesy: Barakah Nuclear Energy Plant

The Emirates Nuclear Energy Corporation (Enec) announced the news on Monday, crediting Nawah, its operating subsidiary, for the achievement.

"We are proud to deliver on our commitment to power the growth of the UAE with safe, clean and abundant electricity," Mohamed Al Hammadi, chief executive of Enec, said.

"Unit 1 marks a new era for the power sector and the future of the clean carbon economy of the nation, with the largest source of electricity now being generated without any emissions," Mr Al Hammadi said.

"I am proud of our talented UAE nationals, working alongside international experts to deliver this clean electricity to the nation, in line with the highest standards of safety, security and quality."

Nawah has been responsible for safely and steadily raising the power levels at Unit 1 since start-up in July and connection to the grid in August.

Engineers will now carry out a series of tests  before the reactor is safely shut down, examined again and prepared for full commercial operations.

"This is a key achievement for the UAE, as we safely work through the start-up process for Unit 1 of the Barakah plant," said Ali Al Hammadi, chief executive of Nawah.

Barakah, in Al Dhafra, is the cornerstone of the UAE's peaceful nuclear energy programme.

Construction began in 2012 and it was built in partnership with the Korea Electric Power Corporation.

Construction of Units 3 and 4 is in its final stages – 93 per cent and 87 per cent complete respectively – benefiting from lessons learnt during the construction of Units 1 and 2.

The Barakah complex as a whole is now more than 95 per cent complete.