Gulf’s first nuclear reactor to start operating in UAE next year
A $20 billion Barakah Nuclear Plant in the west of Abu Dhabi is being constructed by a consortium led by Korea Electric Power Corp – will be opened for operations next year marking it as the United Arab Emirates (UAE) and Arab Gulf region’s first.
UAE Energy Minister Suhail Mohammed al-Mazrouei said: “We have reached the advanced stages,” “the first of four UAE nuclear reactors was 96 per cent complete and would “definitely” start up next year after delays following safety checks”.
Mazrouei said that “clean” energy was slated to make up 27 per cent of the UAE’s energy sources by 2021.
When fully operational, the four reactors will produce 5,600 megawatts of electricity.
The oil-rich UAE aims to continue diversifying toward its goal of 50-per cent clean energy by 2050.
Mazrouei announced that Abu Dhabi by hosting the ‘International Ministerial Conference on Nuclear Power in the 21st Century’ will mark another first in the region.
The three-day ‘International Ministerial Conference on Nuclear Power in the 21st Century’ will start on Oct 30.
The conference with expectations of 150 countries representations attendance would be organised by the International Atomic Energy Agency to discuss challenges related to nuclear power as well as innovations and technological advances.