Barakah reactors now all connected to grid

The UAE’s first nuclear power plant announced that the final two of its four reactors are now connected to the country’s electricity grid.

The development is described as a “significant milestone” by Emirates Nuclear Energy Corporation ahead of the nuclear plant’s activation, which is expected later this year.

Connecting units Three and Four of the Barakah Nuclear Energy Plant to the grid will allow the next stage of testing and the completion of auxiliary buildings on the site, which is in the Al Dhafra Region near Ruwais.

Enec said it had also completed a process known as hot function testing on Unit Two, which prepares the reactor for the loading of its uranium fuel rods.

These tests have already been completed on Unit One, which will be the first reactor to begin generating electricity after the current phase of commissioning and testing. Mohammed Al Hammadi, the chief executive of Enec, said: “I am proud of the continued adherence to the highest standards of quality and safety displayed by our teams here in Barakah, the largest nuclear construction site in the world.

“Their commitment and dedication is a key factor in the continued construction of this strategic project that will power the growth of the UAE, and which is now more than 85 per cent complete.”

Once fully operational, the Barakah power plant is expected to produce a quarter of the UAE’s energy.

It will also save 21 million tonnes of carbon emissions each year.