ALBAWABA - Emirates Nuclear Energy Corporation (ENEC) of the United Arab Emirates (UAE) made a landmark announcement on Thursday, announcing that the fourth unit of the Barakah Nuclear Energy Plant has entered commercial operations, checking the full completion of the plant.
25 percent of the scorching desert Gulf nation's electricity needs—where air conditioning is commonplace—will be met by Barakah, which will also power businesses like Emirates Global Aluminum, Emirates Steel, and the Abu Dhabi National Oil Company (ADNOC), one of the largest producers of oil in the world.
Currently, the plant is producing 40 terawatt hours of environmentally friendly and free of carbon emissions electricity yearly, an amount of energy that is sufficient to power 16 million electric vehicles on an annual basis, putting the nation ahead of its climate obligations for the year 2030.
Over 2,000 Emiratis with a high level of expertise have contributed to the development of the plant up to this point. A new wave of knowledge and intelligence will be essential for the future because, according to research conducted by the International Monetary Fund (IMF), nuclear power plants have a distinct footprint with regard to the distribution of income across a wider range of industries than other types of energy sources, ENEC notes.
Khaldoon Khalifa Al Mubarak, Chairman, Board of Directors at ENEC, said in a statement that “In 2008, the UAE's visionary leadership took a data-led, long-term approach by issuing a comprehensive policy for the development of civil nuclear energy in the UAE to transform the nation’s energy supply.”
“As Unit 4 of Barakah enters commercial operations, that vision has been realised, with one in every four electrons on the UAE grid coming from Barakah, providing up to 25% of the UAE’s electricity needs, and positioning the nation as a leader in civil nuclear development globally. This source of clean electricity will act as a magnet, attracting additional investment in the UAE by sustainably-minded, but energy intensive industries from around the globe,” Al Mubarak added.
