The Emirates Nuclear Energy Corporation (ENEC) announced today the start of commercial operations of Unit 2 at the Barakah Nuclear Energy Plant.
Unit 2 adds 1,400 megawatts of zero-carbon emission electricity to the national grid, bringing the total produced by Units 1 and 2 to 2,800 megawatts and further securing energy supply and advancing the UAE’s sustainability goals.
This new addition takes ENEC and its subsidiaries to the halfway mark of delivering on its commitment to supply a quarter of the country’s electricity needs, significantly contributing to the UAE’s Net-Zero by 2050 initiative.
With Unit 2 commercially operational, the Barakah Plant, the first multi-unit operating plant in the Arab World, is leading the largest decarbonisation of any industry in the region, delivering thousands of megawatts of carbon-free electricity every single day, ENEC said in a statement.
Mohamed Ibrahim Al Hammadi, Managing Director and CEO of ENEC, said, “The Barakah Nuclear Energy Plant is a sustainable powerhouse for the UAE. The start of commercial operations at Unit 2 doubles the Barakah Plant’s generation of emissions-free electricity, enabling rapid decarbonisation of the UAE’s power sector in pursuit of Net Zero 2050.
When its four units are commercially operating, the Barakah Plant will produce up to 25 percent of the UAE’s electricity needs and prevent about 22.4 million tons of carbon emissions annually, equivalent to the emissions of 4.8 million cars.
By 2025, the Plant will generate more than 85 percent of Abu Dhabi Emirate’s clean electricity, making it the biggest contributor to reducing Abu Dhabi’s carbon emissions by 50 percent by the middle of the decade.
Nasser Al Nasseri, the CEO of Barakah One Company, ENEC’s subsidiary in charge of representing the financial and commercial interests of the Barakah Plant project, said, “We are now selling double the volume of electricity to the Emirates Water and Electricity Company (EWEC) per the Power Purchase Agreement signed in 2016.”