FUTURE OF ENERGY SHINES BRIGHT AT COP26
▶ UAE says Barakah Unit 3 complete and announces hydrogen roadmap
Construction of Unit 3 of Barakah Nuclear Energy Plant is complete, the UAE has announced at the Cop26 summit in Glasgow, Scotland.
The unit has been handed over for readiness checks and is set to be up and running in 2023. Thursday’s announcement was made to demonstrate the UAE’s transition to cleaner energy sources while cutting carbon emissions and increasing power supply to meet the growing demand for electricity.
It was one of a series of clean energy developments on the fourth day of Cop26, which was dedicated to talks on energy.
The UAE announced the launch of a Hydrogen Leadership Roadmap, and dozens of countries agreed to phase out coal power.
Speaking in Glasgow, Mariam Al Mheiri, Minister of Climate Change and Environment, said the roadmap would be important to the UAE’s plan to achieve net-zero emissions by 2050.
“The world is witnessing a growing interest in hydrogen, and the UAE is at the crest of the wave,” she said.
“The country has the natural resources, technological expertise and the political will needed to become a key player in the global hydrogen supply chain.
“We aim to involve all sectors and all actors in accelerating hydrogen deployment and cost reduction to ensure the UAE is making headway towards a cleaner future.”
She said the UAE would build on previous work, such as the Abu Dhabi Hydrogen Alliance, which was established in January.
More than 40 countries, including major users Poland, Vietnam and Chile, agreed to phase out coal power in what Britain described as a milestone on the journey to one of the climate summit’s critical goals.
Promises were also secured to cut off investment in coal-fired power plants, which are regarded as one of the dirtiest energy sources.
But the world’s biggest coal consumers, China, India and the US, have not signed up to the pledge.
The UK announced commitments on behalf of 190 countries and organisations, with 23 nations promising for the first time to phase out the fuel.
They are promising to stop issuing permits for new coal plants and complete their exit from coal power in the 2030s, in the case of developed countries, and the 2040s in the case of emerging economies.
Meanwhile, Opec+, the oil exporters bloc behind historic production cuts, agreed to increase output by 400,000 barrels per day in December but will not meet demands from the US to bring on additional supply.
The group, headed by Saudi Arabia and Russia, stuck to its earlier agreement to bring 2 million bpd back to markets by the end of the year.
Addressing delegates in Glasgow, Alok Sharma, the Cop26 president, said clean power was critical to achieving the Paris goals.
Barakah is projected to cut Abu Dhabi’s carbon emissions by 50 per cent by 2025.
The Arab world’s first multiunit operating nuclear energy plant is located in Al Dhafra region. Unit 1 is already fully operational. Unit 2 was recently connected to the main grid and is undergoing testing.
Unit 3 will now be subjected to testing, regulatory inspections and international assessments required to obtain an operating licence from the UAE’s independent nuclear regulator, the Federal Authority for Nuclear Regulation.
“With Unit 1 already commercially operating and Unit 2 recently connected to the UAE grid, Unit 3 construction completion demonstrates the steady progress we are making with the development of the Barakah Nuclear Energy Plant,” Mohamed Al Hammadi, chief executive of Emirates Nuclear Energy Corporation, said.
“As the world gathers at Cop26 in Glasgow, Scotland, the need for concrete action to tackle climate change is indisputable and urgent.
“The Barakah Plant, with its rapid decarbonisation of the power sector, is delivering climate solutions today and with Unit 3 construction now complete, we are progressing smoothly towards supplying a quarter of the UAE’s electricity needs completely carbon-free.”
Barakah is one of the largest nuclear energy plants in the world. Construction began in 2012 and is now more than 96 per cent complete. When fully operational, the plant will produce 5.6 gigawatts of carbon-free electricity for more than 60 years.
While coal currently generates more than a third of the world’s electricity, Mr Sharma said: “Today, I think we can say that the end of coal is in sight.
“I do believe we’re getting to a point where we consign coal power to history.”
Oil prices rose in response to Opec’s latest plans to moderately increase supply.
Barakah is one of the largest nuclear energy plants in the world. Construction is now 96 per cent complete