The United Arab Emirates confirm the completion of Barakah-1
Abu Dhabi's crown prince Sheikh Mohammed bin Zayed Al Nahyan and South Korean president Moon Jae-in attended the official ceremony that marks the completion of construction of the Barakah-1 nuclear power plant in the United Arab Emirates, which began in July 2012.
According to the official Emirates News Agency "unit 1 clears the construction phase, and the project now shifts its focus to completing operational readiness preparations required to obtain the approval of the operating licence by the Federal Authority for Nuclear Regulation, FANR."
Nuclear energy will play a crucial role in the UAE's growth by improving energy security
The agency quoted Sheikh Mohammed as saying nuclear energy will play a crucial role in the UAE's growth by improving energy security, diversifying the economy, and creating employment opportunities, thereby helping to "secure the future of generations to come".
Emirates Nuclear Energy Corporation (Enec) is the company behind the $19bn project to build four South Korean 1,345-MW APR-1400 reactors at Barakah, about 240km west of Abu Dhabi city.
In January 2018 Enec said Unit 1 was undergoing commissioning and testing before a regulatory review and receipt of the operating licence from FANR.
The government said that construction of Units 2, 3 and 4 are 92%, 81% and 66% complete, respectively. The construction of the Barakah station as a whole is 86% complete.
Once the four reactors are online, the facility will provide around 25% of the country's electricity requirements, the government said.
