Emirates Nuclear Technology Center (ENTC)

Five KU Faculty Visit Barakah Nuclear Energy Plant and Witness Historic Milestone

February 10, 2020

As part of the ongoing research and education partnership with Emirates Nuclear Energy Corporation (ENEC), five faculty members from the Nuclear Engineering Department at Khalifa University were given a unique opportunity to visit Barakah Nuclear Energy Plant.

During the visit, Dr. Yacine Addad, Dr. Youssef Shatilla, Dr. Akihide Hidaka, Dr. Saeed Al Ameri, and Dr. Ahmed Alkaabi witnessed firsthand the high safety standards that are embedded at the Barakah Nuclear Energy Plant. Upon completion of its four Units, the Barakah plant will generate 5,600 MW of clean electricity, providing up to 25 percent of the UAE’s electricity demand when fully operational, while preventing the release of 21 million tons of carbon emissions annually, equivalent to removing 3.2 million cars off the Nation’s roads each year.

The visit was timely as it came right before the completion of Unit 1 fuel load. The Barakah Unit 1 has since commenced the start-up process following successful completion of fuel loading in March 2020. Over a number of months, power levels will safely and steadily be raised, once reaching full capacity the unit will generate 1,400 MW of abundant baseload electricity.

This milestone reflects the vote of confidence that the plant specifically, and the UAE in general, have received after a lengthy licensing process by the UAE’s independent regulator, the Federal Authority for Nuclear Regulation (FANR). This process is followed for each of the four units.

The KU faculty expressed their gratitude and pride in witnessing this historic moment for the UAE.

Erica Solomon 
Senior Editor
10 February 2020