UAE nuclear power plant scheduled to be operational in early 2020

• 4 years ago (2020-01-01)
• David Flin

Middle East 310 Nuclear 639

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Al-Ittihad , the Abu Dhabi government-owned newspaper, has reported that Barakah Unit 1 should start operating in the first quarter of 2020. This will make it the first commercial nuclear power plant in the Arab world. The paper has reported that Barakak Unit 1, the first of four planned reactors in the United Arab Emirates, is currently in a testing phase and is on track to receive an operating licence from the regulators. The plant will then start fuel loading, begin generating power, and ramp up to full commercial operation in Q1 2020.

The state-run Emirates Nuclear Energy Corporation (ENEC) has said that it is preparing to start tests on its second reactor.

Korea Electric Power Corporation (KEPCO) and ENEC are joint venture partners. Their Nawah Energy Co. is responsible for operating and maintaining the Barakah complex, where construction began in 2012. Once completed, the complex will have a combined capacity of 5600MW.