Nawah Energy Company, the operations and maintenance subsidiary of Emirates Nuclear Energy Corporation (ENEC), has connected unit 4 of the Barakah NPP to the UAE’s transmission system.
Barakah is the first multi-unit operational NPP in the Arab world. Construction of the Barakah NPP began in 2011. Korea Electric Power Company (Kepco) led the consortium that is building the plant comprising four APR1400 reactors. Unit 1 was connected to the grid in 2020, followed by unit 2 in 2021 and unit 3 in 2022. Unit 1 began commercial operation in April 2021 and unit 2 in 2022 and unit 3 in 2023. Once all four units are operating at full power, they will contribute up to 25% of the UAE's National Determined Contributions to Net Zero and be the largest source of dispatchable clean electricity.
ENEC Managing Director & CEO Mohamed Al Hammadi noted: “We are proud to have achieved another critical milestone for the Barakah Plant, which stands as a testament to the UAE’s leadership in the development of large-scale multi-unit nuclear fleets. Grid connection of Unit 4 puts us well on the path to full-fleet commercial operations, and with that, the ability to generate 40 terawatt-hours (TWh) of clean, baseload electricity annually to drive our Net Zero economy, offering a competitive edge to many businesses, decarbonizing hard-to-abate industries, while presenting a global benchmark for the entire nuclear energy industry.”
Unit 4 will now go through a process called Power Ascension Testing, which involves progressively increasing power levels after grid connection. The procedure will comply with all local legal requirements as well as the highest international standards of safety, quality, and security. It will be tested and monitored continually until the maximum amount of power generation is achieved.
The Nawah teams at Barakah have worked closely with the Abu Dhabi Transmission & Dispatch Company (TRANSCO), a subsidiary of Abu Dhabi National Energy Company (TAQA), which constructed the overhead lines to connect the Barakah Plant.
ENEC said that each unit has been connected to the grid more efficiently than the previous one, as a result of increasing institutional knowledge and experience. Unit 3 was delivered four months faster than the unit 2 schedule, and five months faster than the unit 1 schedule, demonstrating the significant benefit of building multiple units within a phased timeline.
Image: Barakah nuclear power plant in Abu Dhabi, UAE
