The Federal Authority for Nuclear Regulation (FANR) of the United Arab Emirates (UAE) has granted a 60-year operating licence to the second unit of the Barakah nuclear power project in Abu Dhabi. The power plant’s operator, Nawah Energy, is now authorised to load fuel into the reactor, whose construction was completed in July 2020, and to start the commissioning phase of Barakah-2. Barakah-1, which received an operating licence in February 2020, was connected to the grid in August 2020 and is expected to start commercial operations during the first quarter of 2021.
The first nuclear power plant of the UAE is developed by Nawah Energy, a joint venture of ENEC Emirates Nuclear Energy Corporation and Korea Electric Power Corporation (Kepco). Kepco's subsidiary Korea Hydro & Nuclear Power (KHNP) started to build the project in 2013. The Barakah nuclear power plant consists of four 1,400 MW APR1400 units. The construction of the power plant is 95% complete: the first unit is operational; the second unit is completed; units 3 and 4 are now 94% and 88% complete, respectively. Once fully operational, the power plant will cover almost 25% of the domestic electricity needs.
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