UAE President says fourth unit of Barakah Nuclear Energy Plant a 'significant step'

The plant is expected to meet 25 per cent of the UAE’s electricity demands

President Sheikh Mohamed said the country will 'continue to prioritise energy security' after the Barakah Nuclear Energy Plant entered commercial operations. Chris Whiteoak / The National

President Sheikh Mohamed has heralded the start of commercial operations at the fourth and final unit of the Barakah Nuclear Energy Plant.

He described the moment as a “significant step on the journey towards net zero” in a post on X on Thursday, with the plant representing the largest decarbonisation effort in the UAE and the region.

The 22.4 million tonnes of annual carbon emissions that will now be prevented by the plant are equivalent to removing 4.6 million cars from the roads each year and contribute to achieving 24 per cent of the nation’s 2030 decarbonisation commitments, state news agency Wam reported.

“With the start of operations at Unit 4 of the Barakah Nuclear Energy Plant, the UAE has taken another significant step on the journey towards net zero,” he wrote.

“We will continue to prioritise energy security and sustainability for the benefit of our nation and our people today and tomorrow.”

The unit’s reactor was successfully started for the first time and connected to the national power grid in March.

Officials said it required a few more months before commercial operations could begin once the process of gradually raising power levels, known as Power Ascension Testing, was complete.

These tests have now been carried out, adhering to the highest international safety standards, with officials continuously monitoring the plant’s progress.

Sheikh Mohammed bin Rashid, Vice President and Ruler of Dubai, also shared his delight at the development. He described the plant as “an Emirati achievement, a source of Arab pride” and a “global addition to protecting the planet”.

A cleaner future

The Barakah Plant is now generating 40 terawatt hours of electricity per year, about the annual electricity consumption of New Zealand. It provides up to 25 per cent of the UAE’s electricity, state news agency Wam reported.

The first operating licence for Unit 1 at the Barakah Plant was issued by the Federal Authority for Nuclear Regulation in February 2020, followed by another for Unit 2 in March 2021.

Commercial operations at Unit 1 started in April 2021, and in its first year, it prevented the release of more than five million tonnes of carbon emissions by replacing the power that would previously have been generated by fossil fuels.

It was the equivalent of more than “one million cars driven for a year”, the Emirates Nuclear Energy Corporation said.

The Barakah plant is expected to produce 85 per cent of Abu Dhabi’s clean electricity by 2025 and will be the biggest contributor to reducing the national power sector’s carbon emissions.

Nuclear power is regarded as clean energy because it does not create the same emissions that fossil fuels do.