UAE’s Barakah nuclear power plant connects to the national grid

In a first, UAE’s Barakah nuclear energy plant has safely connected to the national power grid.

The operations and maintenance subsidiary of Emirates Nuclear Energy Corporation (ENEC), Nawah Energy Company (Nawah), in partnership with the Abu Dhabi Transmission and Despatch Company (TRANSCO), a subsidiary of Abu Dhabi National Energy Company (TAQA), has not only connected the unit to the grid, but is also despatching its first megawatts of clean electricity.

During the process, the generator in Unit 1 was integrated and synchronised with the requirements of the UAE’s national electricity transmission grid.

.@ENEC_UAE has successfully and safely completed connecting the first unit of the Barakah Nuclear Energy Plant to the UAE grid, with the production of the first megawatt of clean and environment-friendly electricity using nuclear energy. pic.twitter.com/x3VjMFqSuy

— مكتب أبوظبي الإعلامي (@admediaoffice) August 19, 2020

The reactor’s power levels will gradually be scaled along with related tests until it reaches the full commercial operation output, scheduled for early 2021.

“The safe and successful connection of Unit 1 to the UAE grid marks the key moment when we begin to deliver on our mission to power the growth of the nation by supplying clean electricity, around the clock. We are confident in our people and our technology to continue to progress to reach commercial operations, and the completion of the remaining three units, with the goal to power up to 25 per cent of the UAE’s electricity needs for at least the next 60 years. This project, in addition to the UAE’s efforts made in implementing other forms of clean power generation, delivers one of the most ambitious clean electricity transformations in the region and the world, setting the nation on a new track of sustainable development and electrification,” said Mohamed Ibrahim Al Hammadi, chief executive officer of ENEC.

“We extend our full appreciation to TRANSCO, and our prime contractor and joint venture partner, the Korea Electric Power Corporation (KEPCO), as well as the many other UAE-based stakeholders and numerous international nuclear organisations who have worked closely with us over the past decade. Their experience, and that of the wider global nuclear energy industry, has supported our adherence and commitment to ensuring the highest safety, quality, security, transparency, and non-proliferation standards throughout the development of the UAE Peaceful Nuclear Energy Programme,” added Al Hammadi.

The four units at Barakah will generate up to 25 per cent of the UAE’s electricity demand by producing 5,600 MW of clean baseload electricity, and reducing 21 million tons of carbon emissions each year – the equivalent of removing 3.2 million cars off the roads annually.