The oil-rich United Arab Emirates declared on Thursday that the first nuclear power plant in the Arab world had been completed, referring to it as a “significant step”.
The state-owned Emirates Nuclear Energy Corporation (ENEC) released a statement stating that when its fourth and final reactor begins commercial operation, Abu Dhabi’s Barakah Nuclear Energy Plant would generate 40 terawatt-hours of power annually.
It will provide 25% of the hot, arid Gulf state’s electrical demands, where air conditioning is commonplace. According to ENEC, this is almost equal to New Zealand’s annual electricity use.
According to ENEC, the station would supply energy to businesses including Emirates Steel, Emirates Global Aluminum, and Abu Dhabi National Oil Company (ADNOC), one of the largest oil producers in the world.
The Arabic word for “blessing,” Barakah, came into being in 2020 when the first of its four reactors came online.
The leading oil exporter in the world, Saudi Arabia, has also declared its intention to construct nuclear reactors.
The completion of Barakah was praised by Emirati President Sheikh Mohamed bin Zayed Al Nahyan as a “significant step on the journey towards net zero.”
In a post on the social networking site X, he said, “We will continue to prioritise energy safety and sustainability for the good of our nation and our people today and tomorrow.”
The facility “will have to be dismantled at the end of its useful life, in around 60-80 years,” according to the International Atomic Energy Agency.
One of the major oil producers in the OPEC cartel is the United Arab Emirates (UAE), a conglomeration of seven emirates that includes the capital Abu Dhabi and the commercial center Dubai.
While the nation was primarily founded on oil, billions of dollars are being invested in the development of renewable energy to meet 50% of its demands by 2050.
It played home to the UN climate negotiations last year, the outcome of which was an agreement to “transition away” from fossil fuels.
The UAE is located on the other side of the Gulf from Iran, which is home to a contentious uranium enrichment program and a nuclear power station near the coastal city of Bushehr that was constructed by Russia.
