Barakah nuclear plant's Unit 3 begins commercial operations

Unit 3 of the Barakah Nuclear Energy Plant has begun commercial operations, adding a further 1,400 megawatts (MW) of clean energy to the UAE national grid.

That's according to the Emirates Nuclear Energy Corporation (ENEC), which said it will boost total production from Units 1, 2 and 3 of Barakah up to 4,200MW.

The first multi-unit operating plant in the Arab World, Barakah, has already powered more than 80 per cent of Abu Dhabi emirate's clean electricity consumption in December 2022.

Mohamed Ibrahim Al Hammadi, Managing Director and Chief Executive Officer of ENEC, said the UAE is looking forward to "showcasing just how critical nuclear is in tackling climate change, using proven solutions available today, at COP28 in the UAE in November".

In fact, Unit 3 has been delivered efficiently in one of the shortest time-frames compared to other third-generation reactors built worldwide. It started commercial operations more than four months faster than Unit 2 and more than five months faster than Unit 1.

ENEC and its subsidiaries are now one unit away from completing the four-unit Barakah Nuclear Energy Plant and realising its commitment to deliver up to 25 per cent of the UAE's electricity demands.

When fully operational, the plant will prevent 22.4 million tonnes of carbon emissions – the leading cause of climate change – every year, and will free up billions of dirhams worth of natural gas annually.