Barakah plant’s second unit to add 1,400 megawatts of clean electricity to national grid

/ Renewables / Thursday, 24 March 2022 13:19

The Emirates Nuclear Energy Corporation (ENEC) has announced the start of commercial operations of unit 2 at the Barakah nuclear energy plant.

Unit 2 adds 1,400 megawatts of zero-carbon emission electricity to the national grid, bringing the total produced by units 1 and 2 to 2,800 megawatts, and further securing energy supply and advancing the UAE's sustainability goals.

This new milestone takes ENEC and its subsidiaries to the halfway mark of delivering on its commitment to supply up a quarter of the country's electricity needs, reliably powering the economy by generating clean electricity 24/7 and significantly contributing to the UAE's Net-Zero by 2050 initiative.

Mohamed Ibrahim Al Hammadi, managing director and CEO of ENEC, said, "The Barakah nuclear energy plant is a sustainable powerhouse for the UAE. The start of commercial operations at unit 2 doubles the Barakah plant's generation of emissions-free electricity, enabling rapid decarbonisation of the UAE's power sector in pursuit of Net Zero 2050.”

When its four units are commercially operating, the Barakah plant will produce up to 25% of the UAE's electricity needs and prevent about 22.4 million tons of carbon emissions annually, equivalent to the emissions of 4.8 million cars.

By 2025, the plant will generate more than 85% of Abu Dhabi Emirate's clean electricity, making it the biggest contributor to reducing Abu Dhabi's carbon emissions by 50% by the middle of the decade.

Nasser Al Nasseri, CEO of Barakah One Company, ENEC's subsidiary in charge of representing the financial and commercial interests of the Barakah plant project, said, "Today is an integral day for the delivery of the Barakah nuclear energy plant project with the commercial operations of unit 2, we are now selling double the volume of electricity to the Emirates Water and Electricity Company (EWEC) per the Power Purchase Agreement signed in 2016.

Ali Al Hammadi, CEO of Nawah Energy Company, ENEC's subsidiary mandated to operate and maintain the Barakah plant, said, "We are committed to operating the plant in line with the UAE's robust regulations and international best practice on our ongoing journey to operating excellence."

Unit 2 joins unit 1, which achieved commercial operation in April 2021. Units 3 and 4 are in the final stages of commissioning, with unit 3 construction already complete and now undergoing operational readiness preparations and Unit 4 in the final stages of construction completion.

The Barakah nuclear energy plant, located in the Al Dhafra region of Abu Dhabi, is one of the largest nuclear energy plants in the world, with four APR-1400 units.

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