UAE’s Barakah nuclear plant reaches full operation
The Emirates Nuclear Energy Corporation (ENEC) has announced that the fourth unit of the Barakah nuclear plant in the UAE has entered commercial operation, marking the plant’s full delivery. Speaking at the World Nuclear Association (WNA) Symposium in London on September 5, Mohamed Al Hammadi, CEO of ENEC, expressed pride in the achievement, stating, “Today we have four units [commercially] operational.”
The Barakah plant, featuring four Korean-designed APR1400 reactors, now generates 40 terawatt-hours of electricity annually, providing up to 25% of the UAE’s electricity. The project has an installed capacity of 5.6 GW and prevents an estimated 24.2 million tonnes of annual carbon emissions, contributing significantly to the UAE’s 2030 decarbonization goals.
The Barakah project, which began construction in 2011 after South Korea secured a $20 billion contract, saw its first unit enter commercial operation in April 2021, followed by units 2 and 3 in 2022 and 2023, respectively. Unit 4 achieved first criticality in March 2024 and has now entered full commercial operation.
The plant also provides substantial economic benefits, including $6.7 billion in local procurement. Additionally, 85% of the clean energy certificates managed by the Emirates Water and Electricity Company are powered by Barakah, helping companies like ADNOC, EGA, and Emirates Steel Arkan produce greener products.
Al Hammadi emphasized that the UAE has added more clean electricity per capita than any other nation in the past five years, with 75% of it coming from Barakah. This milestone comes as nuclear energy is increasingly recognized as vital for decarbonization and achieving global net-zero goals. COP28 marked a turning point in the perception of nuclear energy, with 25 nations, including the UAE, pledging to triple global nuclear capacity by 2050.