Emirates Nuclear Energy Corporation (Enec) today (September 22) announced that its operating and maintenance unit, Nawah, has successfully started up Unit 3 of the Barakah Nuclear Energy Plant, located in the Al Dhafra Region of Abu Dhabi.

 

Nawah, a joint venture between Enec and the Korea Electric Power Corporation (Kepco), has been safely progressing through a comprehensive testing programme, prior to successfully completing the start-up of the third nuclear energy reactor of the Barakah Plant. 

 

The milestone shows the significant progress being made by Enec in bringing the four units of Arab region's first multi-unit operational nuclear plant online and accelerating the decarbonization of the UAE’s power sector on the way to Net Zero by 2050. 

 

The Unit 3 start-up comes a year after the start-up of Unit 2, with the next key milestone being the connection of Unit 3 to the national electricity grid in the coming weeks, stated Enec.

 

Once commercially operational, Unit 3 will add another 1,400 MW of zero-carbon emission electricity capacity to the national grid, a major boost for UAE energy security, and a major step forward in tackling climate change. 

 

The clean electricity generated at Barakah is sustainably powering homes, business and high-tech industries across the UAE and the successful development of the plant demonstrates the country’s extensive megaproject management capabilities, it added.

 

Enec Managing Director and CEO Mohamed Ibrahim Al Hammadi said: "We have reached another major milestone in the delivery of the UAE Peaceful Nuclear Energy Program today, as we move forwards with the provision of strategically significant clean energy for the UAE."

 

"The Barakah Plant is spearheading the decarbonization of the power sector, sustainably generating abundant electricity to meet growing demand and power growth. The UAE has developed a world-class nuclear program that builds on experience and continuously shares its lessons with global industry peers, making the Barakah plant a case study for the world on a new nuclear project delivery," he stated.

 

Commenting on the milestone, Nawah CEO Engineer Ali Al Hammadi said: "The start-up of Unit 3 is a clear demonstration that our Emirati talents, working closely with international experts and organizations, have developed the know-how and capability to safely and reliably operate three nuclear Units simultaneously."

 

"We look forward to the upcoming connection of Unit 3 to the national electricity grid as we work to deliver up to 25% of the UAE’s electricity demand," stated Al Hammadi.

 

In the coming weeks, Unit 3 will be connected to the national electricity grid and the operations team will continue with the process of gradually raising power levels, known as Power Ascension Testing (PAT), he added.-TradeArabia News Service