Home
Industry
Energy

Barakah nuclear energy plant’s Unit 3 now connected to UAE transmission grid

Unit 3 will add another 1,400 megawatts of zero-carbon emission electricity capacity to the national grid

October 9, 2022

The Emirates Nuclear Energy Corporation (ENEC) has announced that its operations and maintenance subsidiary, Nawah Energy Company (Nawah), has connected Unit 3 of the Barakah Nuclear Energy Plant to the UAE’s transmission grid.

Unit 3, which started up in September, has commenced the delivery of the first megawatts of carbon-free electricity.

Read: Unit 3 of UAE’s Barakah nuclear energy plant starts up

With both Units 1 and 2 already in commercial operation, generating clean electricity every minute of the day and Unit 3 close to commercial operations in the coming months, Barakah is accelerating the decarbonisation of the power sector and forms an essential component of the UAE’s Net Zero 2050 Strategy.

Unit 3 will provide an additional 1,400 megawatts of zero-carbon emission electricity capacity to the national grid, according to the state news agency WAM.

Mohamed Ibrahim Al Hammadi, MD and CEO of ENEC, said, “Our leadership’s long-term vision and decisions more than 13 years ago are paying dividends today as we celebrate another proud moment for the UAE Peaceful Nuclear Energy Program. Connecting Unit 3 to the UAE transmission grid adds thousands more megawatts of clean electricity to power all aspects of society, replaces the need to burn US$4bn worth of gas which can be diverted for export, and through Clean Energy Certification, gives many companies in the UAE a unique competitive advantage.”

Following the grid connection, Unit 3 will undergo the process of gradually raising power levels, known as power ascension testing, or PAT. The process will be continuously monitored and tested until maximum electricity production is reached while adhering to all local regulatory requirements and the highest international standards of safety, quality and security.

The four units at Barakah alone are contributing 25 per cent of the UAE’s National Determined Contributions to net zero and are the largest sources of dispatchable clean electricity.