Unit is fourth South Korea-supplied APR-1400 at Gulf coast site
Operational readiness preparations have begun at the fourth and final unit at the Barakah nuclear power station in the United Arab Emirates.
Barakah owner Emirates Nuclear Energy Corporation (Enec) said the operations team at the four-unit facility, the first commercial nuclear power station in the Arab World, have begun testing to demonstrate the unit is ready to receive its operating licence from the UAE’s nuclear regulator, the Federal Authority for Nuclear Regulation (FANR).
Enec did not give a date for commercial operation, but earlier reports said it was likely to be in 2024.
“The lessons learnt from the previous three units have been effectively applied to the next unit, ensuring the swift and safe transition to operational readiness, with each unit passing through the phases of preparation in a more efficient manner while maintaining the same standards of quality and safety,” Enec said.
Barakah-4 is the fourth South Korea-supplied APR-1400 at the Barakah station, on the Persian Gulf coast west of the city of Abu Dhabi.
Preparations to operate Barakah-4 follow the start of commercial operations at Barakah-3 in February. Barakah-1 began commercial operation in April 2021 and Barakah-2 in March 2022.
Once commercially operational, Unit 4 will raise Barakah’s total electricity generation capacity to 5.6 GW, equivalent to 25% of the UAE’s electricity needs, delivering more than 40 TWh of electricity per year.
The three commercially operating Units at Barakah are already generating more than 30 TWh of electricity, Enec said.
It said the Barakah station has had a “transformational” impact on the UAE’s energy landscape, spearheading the decarbonisation of the power sector. Over the winter months, the three units met up to 48% of Abu Dhabi’s electricity requirements.
Enec said it is now leading efforts in research across areas like development of small modular reactors and clean hydrogen generated from reactors.
The UAE has already discussed the possibility of its nuclear industry taking part in potential APR-1400 projects overseas, possibly as part of the supply chain or as an investor.
There are four South Korea-supplied APR-1400 plants at the Barakah station, on the Persian Gulf coast west of the city of Abu Dhabi. Courtesy Enec.
