When Unit 2 of the four-unit Barakah nuclear power station in the United Arab Emirates was connected to the grid earlier this month, delivering its first megawatts of electricity, project owner Emirates Nuclear Energy Corporation (ENEC) said the milestone took it another step closer to its goal of using nuclear to supply up to a quarter of the country’s electricity needs 24/7, while driving reductions in carbon emissions – the leading cause of climate change.

Unit 2’s grid connection came five months after Unit 1 became the first commercial nuclear power reactor in the Arab World to begin commercial operation.

For ENEC, these recent operational milestones show the world that the UAE is serious about efforts to use nuclear energy to further climate change mitigation efforts through the decarbonisation of the electricity sector. But the benefits of the Barakah project – one of the largest nuclear energy stations in the world – go deeper than that, with the facility providing energy security and powering social and economic growth by providing high-value jobs and supporting an entirely new industry.