The reactor of Unit 1 of the Barakah Nuclear Energy Plant in the UAE has achieved 50 per cent of its electricity production capacity, said Nawah Energy Company, the joint venture nuclear operations and maintenance subsidiary of the Emirates Nuclear Energy Corporation (ENEC) and Korea Electric Power Corporation (Kepco).

The milestone was announced on the sidelines of the 64th Annual Regular Session of the IAEA General Conference in Vienna, where the UAE hosted a side event entitled ‘UAE Peaceful Nuclear Energy Program: The Journey’.

Reaching 50 per cent power at Unit 1 of Barakah is an important step in the process of Power Ascension Testing (PAT), and comes at a historic time for the UAE Peaceful Nuclear Energy Program, one month after the safe and successful completion of the synchronisation of Unit 1 to the UAE transmission grid and the dispatch of the first megawatts of clean electricity from the Barakah Plant to the nation, said a statement.

Once the testing process is completed, Unit 1 will enter commercial operations and deliver abundant baseload electricity for up to 18 months prior to refueling, demonstrating how efficient and reliable nuclear energy is at generating clean electricity 24/7.

Mohamed Ibrahim Al Hammadi, CEO of ENEC, said: "The UAE is now producing clean, baseload electricity through Unit 1 of the Barakah Plant, and the Unit has now achieved 50 per cent power as part of the Power Ascension Testing our teams at Nawah are currently undertaking. Safety and quality-led progress is continuing to be made across all four Units of the Plant, and we are delighted to participate in the IAEA General Conference to share the latest updates with our industry partners on this strategic clean energy infrastructure project for the UAE."

Engineer Ali Al Hammadi, Chief Executive Officer of Nawah, commented: "The PAT process is safely and successfully on track and moving ahead in line with national regulatory requirements and the highest international standards, despite the challenging environment we are all facing globally. We are pleased to be part of the 64th IAEA General Conference during such a significant time in the development of the Barakah Plant, and we look forward to announcing further achievements over the coming months as we further increase the power levels of Unit 1 and continue with our operational readiness preparations for Unit 2," he added.

A delegation from the UAE including Hamad Al Kaabi, UAE Permanent Representative to the IAEA; Mohamed Ibrahim Al Hammadi; christer Viktorsson, Director General of the Federal Authority for Nuclear Regulations (FANR); and Eng Ali Al Hammadi participated in the IAEA Conference, which was held from September 21-25 in Vienna, Austria. The conference brought together high-ranking officials and representatives from IAEA member states to discuss a range of nuclear energy topics.