UAE nuclear power plant 75 percent complete

The United Arab Emirates (UAE) first nuclear energy complex is 75 percent complete, said Emirates Nuclear Energy Corporation (ENEC) on Saturday.

The government controlled ENEC in Abu Dhabi said that units three and four of the nuclear energy complex are half completed, marking the 75 percent completion of the total complex.

All four units will deliver safe, clean, reliable and efficient nuclear energy to the UAE grid, pending regulatory reviews and licensing, said ENEC in an e-mailed statement.

The Barakah nuclear energy plant, in the UAE's southwestern region Al-Gharbia, is scheduled for completion in 2020, which started contruction in 2012. With four reactors online, the facility will deliver up to a quarter of the electricity needs of the UAE.

The Gulf Arab state, a major oil supplier, aims to save up to 12 million tons in carbon emissions every year through the nuclear plant which will be the first in the Arab world.

ENEC CEO Mohamed Al Hammadi hailed hard work of the construction team, referring to the latest successful achievement of these milestones for units three and four.

He mentioned that as the world's largest nuclear newly-built construction site, the four identical units were being built simultaneously. Units one and two have been completed in 2016 and completed the first safety tests already.

source: Xinhua