The Emirates Nuclear Energy Corporation (ENEC) said its operating and maintenance subsidiary, Nawah Energy Company, has completed the process of loading fuel assemblies into Unit 4 of the Barakah Nuclear Energy Plant, following all national regulations and the highest international standards.

Nawah Energy was recently issued the Operating Licence for Unit 4 by the Federal Authority for Nuclear Regulation (FANR), the UAE's independent nuclear regulator.

This milestone takes the UAE one step closer to full fleet operations at Barakah, the largest single source of clean electricity in the region, reported Wam.

Once operational, Unit 4, the final unit of Barakah, will enable the plant to generate 25 per cent of the UAE's electricity needs around the clock for the next 60 years.

The three current commercially operating units at Barakah, delivered in three consecutive years, are already generating more than 30 TWh of zero-emission electricity every year.

Unit 4 will raise the Barakah Plant's total clean electricity generation capacity to 5.6 GW, delivering more than 40 TWh of clean electricity per year, once commercial operations begin.

Barakah is already preventing millions of tons of carbon emissions, the leading cause of climate change, every year.

The operations team will safely progress through a comprehensive testing programme prior to completing the start-up of Unit 4.

Testing is undertaken under the continued oversight of FANR.

Enec said once Unit 4 is connected to the national electricity grid, the operations team will continue to gradually raise power levels, known as power ascension testing (PAT).

The phase will be continuously monitored and tested until maximum electricity production is reached, while adhering to all regulatory requirements and the highest international standards of safety, quality and security, it stated.

The Barakah Plant has had a transformational impact on the UAE's energy landscape, spearheading the rapid decarbonisation of the UAE's heavy industries and hard-to-abate sectors.