UAE licenses third unit of Barakah nuclear plant

The UAE has licensed the third unit of its Barakah Nuclear Energy Plant.

The Federal Authority for Nuclear Regulation (FANR) has granted the operating licence for the plant's Unit 3 to Nawah Energy Company.

It's been issued for a period of 60 years, and authorises Nawah to commission and operate Unit 3.

FANR conducted a thorough assessment, which included reviewing the plant’s layout design and the analysis of the site’s location in terms of geography and demography.

The assessment also covered the reactor design, cooling systems, security arrangements, emergency preparedness, radioactive waste management and other technical aspects.

Nawah’s organisational and manpower readiness to ensure the safety and security of the nuclear power plant, was also assessed.

"This is another historic moment for the UAE, being the first Arab country in the region to operate a nuclear power plant and culminating efforts of 14 years in building such a programme," said Hamad Al Kaabi, UAE’s Permanent Representative to the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) and Deputy Chairman of the Board of Management of FANR.

Following the issuance of the licence, Nawah will undertake a period of commissioning to prepare for the commercial operation where FANR will conduct around-the-clock inspections, using its resident inspectors located at the Barakah Nuclear Energy Plant in addition to deploying other inspectors, to ensure the Fuel Load and Power Accession processes are completed according to regulatory requirements.

The UAE is currently building four units at the Barakah plant, and the project’s overall construction rate is 97 per cent as follows: Units 1 and 2 are commercially operational, Unit 3 is in the commissioning phase and Unit 4 is 92 per cent complete.