U.A.E. Nuclear Plant to Be Operational in 1Q 2020, Ittihad Says

The Arab world’s first commercial nuclear plant should start operating in the first quarter of 2020, Abu Dhabi government-owned newspaper Al-Ittihad reported, citing the Emirates Nuclear Energy Corp.

Barakah Unit 1, the first of four planned reactors in the United Arab Emirates, is currently in a testing phase and is on track to receive an operating license from regulators, the paper said. The plant will then start loading nuclear fuel, begin generating power, and ramp up to full commercial operation within several months, Al-Ittihad said. State-run ENEC is also preparing to start tests on its second reactor, according to the report.