Energy UAE’s Barakah nuclear plant starts operations on third unit By Pramod Kumar February 26, 2023 WAM Unit 3 has been delivered efficiently and in one of the shortest time-frames compared to other third-generation reactors built worldwide Nawah Energy Company (Nawah), a subsidiary the UAE’s Emirates Nuclear Energy Corporation’s (ENEC), has commenced commercial operations of unit 3 of the Barakah Nuclear Energy Plant in the Al Dhafra region of Abu Dhabi. As the third unit to be delivered in three consecutive years, it will add a further 1,400 megawatts (MW) of zero-carbon emission electricity capacity, boosting total production to 4,200MW of clean electricity for the UAE national grid. Unit 3 of the Barakah plant has completed the process from fuel load to commercial operations more than four months faster than unit 2 and more than five months faster than unit 1, the UAE state-run WAM news agency reported. ENEC and its subsidiaries are now one unit away from completing the four-unit Barakah nuclear energy plant and realising its commitment to deliver up to 25 percent of the UAE’s electricity demands. The first multi-unit operating plant in the Arab world, Barakah, has already powered more than 80 percent of Abu Dhabi emirate’s clean electricity consumption in December 2022. Mohamed Ibrahim Al Hammadi, managing director and CEO of ENEC, said: “In the Year of Sustainability for the UAE, we are proud to take the UAE peaceful nuclear energy programme another step forward with unit 3 beginning commercial operations. This has been achieved less than a year after successfully starting commercial operations for unit 2. “Barakah is a successful global benchmark for other nations looking to diversify their energy portfolio during a time of international energy crises.” When fully operational, the plant will prevent 22.4 million tonnes of carbon emissions – the leading cause of climate change – every year and free up billions of dirhams worth of natural gas annually.
