The Barakah nuclear power plant programme has become the first to build four identical reactors simultaneously at one site.

The Emirates Nuclear Energy Corporation (Enec) has started work on Unit 4, making it the fourth reactor to be built using international atomic energy contruction standards, said Suhail Al Mazrouei, Minister of Energy.

The construction milestone means that Barakah surpasses nuclear construction sites in China, the US, the UK, Russia and other countries to become the largest project with simultaneous construction of identical nuclear technology.

An Enec spokeswoman said project organisers have called it the “world’s leading nuclear construction site” because of its scope and high standards.

To commemorate the construction, Mr Al Mazrouei and Enec’s board of directors visited the site, located in the Western Region of Abu Dhabi about 50 kilometres west of Ruwais. Details