Barakah Unit 2 now linked to UAE grid
PLANT TO FURTHER ADD 1,400MW OF CLEAN ELECTRICITY CAPACITY
The Emirates Nuclear Energy Corporation (ENEC) yesterday announced that following the start-up of Unit 2 of the Barakah Nuclear Energy Plant last month, its operations and maintenance subsidiary, Nawah Energy Company, has safely and successfully connected the unit to the UAE grid, delivering the first megawatts of carbon-free electricity from the second of four units at the Barakah Plant.
After the safe and successful start-up of Unit 2 on August 27, the Barakah Plant became the first multi-unit operating nuclear plant in the UAE and Arab world. This reflects the UAE’s expertise in meeting stringent national regulations and international standards, as well as the leading skills, qualifications and competencies of the Emirati-led teams who have achieved this milestone at the plant.
New benchmarks
The Barakah Plant continues to set new benchmarks for newbuild nuclear programmes. The cumulative knowledge and expertise developed by the operations teams on Unit 1 has been used to connect Unit 2 to the grid more efficiently, with a 10 per cent reduction in the time between start-up and connection while in parallel, ensuring the highest standards of nuclear safety and operational excellence continue to be applied.
With the Unit 2 grid connection successfully completed, the Unit is in preparation to adding a further 1,400MW of clean electricity capacity to the UAE grid, with the first megawatts of emissions-free electricity from this unit now being dispatched to businesses, schools and homes. This milestone takes ENEC and its subsidiaries another step closer to the half-way mark of its goal to supply up to a quarter of the country’s electricity needs 24x7.
The Barakah 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. Construction of the Plant began in 2012 and has progressed steadily ever since. Units 1 is now producing thousands of megawatts of clean electricity around the clock. Units 3 and 4 are in the final stages of commissioning at 95 per cent and 91 per cent completion stages, respectively.
The development of the Barakah Plant as a whole is now more than 96 per cent complete. When fully operational, it will produce 5.6 gigawatts of free carbon electricity for more than 60 years to come.