Arab World to get first nuclear power plant

The Arab World is welcoming its first nuclear power plant which is set to provide a quarter of the electricity in the United Arab Emirates.

The Barakah plant, constructed by the Emirates Nuclear Energy Corporation (ENEC) in Abu Dhabi, is expected to “prevent up to 22 million tons of carbon emissions every year, equivalent to removing 4.8 million cars from the roads.”

It is now officially online, after declaring full commercial operation on September 5th, meaning that all four reactors in the plant are able to provide nuclear energy to the region.

This is a significant step for the UAE which currently produces an average of four million barrels of oil per day, making the gulf state the eighth largest oil producer in the world.

The U.S. is the largest oil producer, with 19.4 million barrels a day, followed by Saudi Arabia with 11.4 million.

The U.S. is also the world’s biggest producer of nuclear energy, and is joined by Russia, China, and Canada as one of the top ten oil and nuclear energy producing countries.

The UAE has committed itself to the fight against climate change, and pledged to transition from its oil-based economy while hosting the COP28 summit in 2023. The Barakah plant cost $22.4 billion, and was funded in large part by the government.

Emirati President Sheikh Mohamed bin Zayed Al Nahyan celebrated Barakah’s completion as he posted to his X account saying the plant is a: “significant step on the journey toward net zero.”

Lincoln Hill, Director of Policy and External Affairs at the Nuclear Industry Association, told Newsweek: “From my understanding [The UAE] recognize they need to decarbonize and nuclear is a secure and long-standing way to decarbonize.

“[Nuclear plants] produce the same kind of power that oil can give you, [nuclear] is a good way to make the transition, and it builds your energy security”

Hill went on to explain that nuclear power is incredibly efficient, as a plant only needs a small amount of uranium to have a century-long life cycle.

The Barakah plant is an advanced power APR1400 reactor. This differs from a smaller modular reactor, which is more compact and produces less energy, but is more easily transported and constructed.

The reactor itself is a Korean model which was replicated in the UAE by ENEC. According to Hill, this is the best, cheapest, and most efficient way to build nuclear power quickly and well.

“The golden rule is design build repeat,” said Hill to Newsweek. “The UAE proves an instructive case. The best way to do nuclear as cheaply and quickly as possible is to get a design and replicate it and keep doing it.”

The plant is highly popular in the UAE, with 90 percent of respondents to a market research survey saying they believe that ENEC was building the plant at Barakah to the highest standards of safety and quality.

The ENEC has been contacted for comment.