The Emirates Nuclear Energy Corporation (ENEC) has announced that its operating and maintenance subsidiary, Nawah Energy Company, has completed the process of loading fuel assemblies into Unit 4 of the Barakah Nuclear Energy Plant, following all national regulations and the highest international standards.

 

The Federal Authority for Nuclear Regulation (FANR), the UAE's independent nuclear regulator, recently issued the Operating Licence for Unit 4 to Nawah. 

 

This milestone takes the UAE one step closer to full fleet operations at Barakah, the largest single source of clean electricity in the region, reported Wam.

 

Once operational, Unit 4, the final Unit of Barakah, will enable the Plant to generate 25% of the UAE's electricity needs around the clock for the next sixty years.

 

The three current commercially operating Units at Barakah, delivered in three consecutive years, are already generating more than 30TWh of zero-emission electricity every year. Unit 4 will raise the Barakah Plant's total clean electricity generation capacity to 5.6GW, delivering more than 40TWh of clean electricity per year, once commercial operations begin, said the report.

 

Barakah is already preventing millions of tons of carbon emissions, the leading cause of climate change, every year, it stated.

 

The operations team will safely progress through a comprehensive testing programme prior to completing the start-up of Unit 4. Testing is undertaken under the continued oversight of FANR, it added.

 

Enec said once Unit 4 is connected to the national electricity grid, the operations team will continue to gradually raise power levels, known as Power Ascension Testing (PAT). 

 

The phase will be continuously monitored and tested until maximum electricity production is reached, while adhering to all regulatory requirements and the highest international standards of safety, quality and security, it stated.

 

The Barakah Plant has had a transformational impact on the UAE's energy landscape, spearheading the rapid decarbonisation of the UAE's heavy industries and hard-to-abate sectors. 

 

With Unit 4 due to start up in 2024, Enec is now focused on capitalising on the full value of the UAE's investment in the nuclear energy sector, working closely with key global partners and technology companies to identify the right technology and meet the growing demand for clean electricity and molecules.

 

The Barakah plant, a pivotal player in the international nuclear energy sector, boasts four APR-1400 units, marking it as one of the largest nuclear energy facilities globally. The Plant is instrumental in the UAE's clean energy transition and its ambitious goal of Net Zero by 2050.