The United Arab Emirates’ Emirates Nuclear Energy Corporation (ENEC) has announced that its subsidiary Nawah Energy Company has started commercial operations of the 1.4 GW Unit 3 of the Barakah nuclear power plant, located in the Al Dhafra Region of Abu Dhabi. The Unit was first connected to the UAE’s grid in October 2022.
The Barakah nuclear plant is developed by Nawah Energy, a joint venture of ENEC Emirates Nuclear Energy Corporation (ENEC) and Korea Electric Power Corporation (Kepco). Kepco's subsidiary Korea Hydro & Nuclear Power (KHNP) started to build the project in 2013, which consists of four 1.4 GW APR1400 units. The first reactor was commissioned in April 2021 and the second reactor in March 2022. A fourth reactor is currently under construction and is expected to be commissioned in 2023. Once fully operational, the plant is expected to produce up to 25% of the UAE’s electricity needs.
As of end-2021, nuclear represented 6.5% of the UAE’s installed capacity and 6.7% of its power generation.
