UAE: Barakah nuclear power plant gets Unit 2 operating licence

UAE: Barakah nuclear power plant gets Unit 2 operating licence

The Federal Authority for Nuclear Regulation (FANR), the UAE's independent nuclear regulator, on Tuesday issued the operating licence for Unit 2 of the Barakah Nuclear Power Plant to the Nawah Energy Company (Nawah).

The entity is the Emirates Nuclear Energy Corporation's (ENEC) subsidiary that is responsible for operation of the plant in Abu Dhabi.

The operating licence, which has been issued for 60 years, authorises Nawah to commission and operate the Unit 2 of the plant, Hamad Al Kaabi, UAE Permanent Representative to the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) and FANR's Deputy Chairman, said during a press conference.

Al Kaabi said the operating licence has been issued after an exhaustive review process, including assessment of the application and rigorous inspection.

“This is the result of intensive work and collaboration with national and international stakeholders such as the IAEA, Republic of Korea and other international regulatory bodies,” he added.

Al Kaabi said that the commercial operation of Unit 1 would be announced soon.

At present, Unit 1 generates 1,400 megawatt (MW) of electricity from a single generator connected to the UAE grid.

The plant is the largest source of clean baseload electricity in the country, capable