admin The United Arab Emirates switched on the Arab world’s first commercial nuclear power plant after loading fuel and conducting comprehensive tests, according to the prime minister.
With the start-up of the Barakah reactor, the UAE, a seven-member federation that contains commercial hub Dubai and oil-rich Abu Dhabi, where the reactor is located, joins a club of 30 countries that can generate nuclear energy. The country’s overseer had given the go-ahead to run the plant in February.
“Teams succeeded in loading nuclear fuel, carrying out comprehensive tests and successfully completing the operation,” tweeted Sheikh Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum, who is also the ruler of Dubai. “The goal is to operate four nuclear power plants that will provide a quarter of the country’s need for electricity in a safe, reliable and emission-free way.”
Built and run by a joint venture with Korea Electric Power Corp., the Barakah plant can now transfer toward full commercial operation over the next several months. Other Arab countries like Saudi Arabia and Egypt are also moving toward adopting nuclear power despite questions about cost and safety.
The UAE is targeting to have the four civilian reactors in operation by 2023. The plants, located along a sparsely populated strip of desert on the Persian Gulf coast, are estimated to cost a total $25 billion. The government assumes them to produce as much as 5.6 gigawatts of energy once they’re fully commissioned, or about a fifth of the country’s current installed generating capacity.
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