UAE’s First Nuclear Reactor to be Connected From 2018
- UAE’s first nuclear reactor, which is now 96% complete, will be operational and linked with the electricity grid in 2018
- This will accelerate UAE’s efforts to generate 50% of total energy from clean energy sources by 2050, said the Minister of Energy
- It was announced that the International Ministerial Conference on Nuclear Power in 21st Century will be held in Abu Dhabi from 30th October to 1st November
- The USD 20 billion (AED 73.4 billion) nuclear reactor project has already awarded USD 3 billion (AED 11 billion) worth contracts to 1400 companies
- The Barakah Nuclear Power Plant is the United Arab Emirates’s first nuclear power station
- The USD 20-billion Barakah Plant is being constructed by a consortium led by Korea Electric Power Corp, west of Abu Dhabi
- Barakah’s ground-breaking ceremony was held on 14th March, 2011, and construction of the first unit was started on 18th July, 2012
- All four units of Barakah are progressing towards completion – as of May 2017 Unit 1 is at 95%, Unit 2 is at 84%, Unit 3 is at 73% and Unit 4 is 49% complete
- By 2021, clean energy is slated to make up 27% of UAE’s energy sources
