Overview
The Emirates Nuclear Energy Corporation (ENEC) is the entity responsible for the development of the UAE’s peaceful nuclear energy programme. Nawah Energy Company, a joint venture between ENEC and the Korea Electric Power Corporation (KEPCO), operates the Barakah Nuclear Energy Plant — the Arab world’s first commercial nuclear power station.
Located in the Al Dhafra region of western Abu Dhabi, Barakah consists of four APR-1400 pressurised water reactor units with a combined generating capacity of approximately 5.6 gigawatts. When all four units are operational, Barakah provides up to 25 percent of the UAE’s total electricity demand with zero carbon emissions during operation.
Development Timeline
The UAE’s nuclear energy programme was announced in 2008, the same year the Economic Vision 2030 was published. ENEC was established in 2009 to oversee the programme’s development. A competitive tender process resulted in the selection of a consortium led by KEPCO of South Korea to design, build, and help operate the plant.
Construction of Barakah Unit 1 began in 2012. The construction programme delivered four reactor units on a sequential timeline, with each unit progressing from construction through commissioning to commercial operation:
Unit 1 achieved commercial operation in April 2021, making it the first nuclear reactor to operate in the Arab world.
Unit 2 commenced commercial operation in March 2022.
Unit 3 commenced commercial operation in October 2023.
Unit 4 completed fuel loading and startup testing for commercial operation in 2024.
The construction and commissioning of four nuclear reactor units represents one of the most complex infrastructure projects undertaken in the Middle East.
ENEC: The Owner
ENEC is wholly owned by the Abu Dhabi government and serves as the project owner and strategic oversight body for the nuclear programme. ENEC’s responsibilities include project financing, stakeholder engagement, human capital development, and long-term strategic planning for the UAE’s nuclear energy sector.
ENEC has invested substantially in developing Emirati nuclear engineering talent, sponsoring education and training programmes that have produced hundreds of qualified Emirati nuclear professionals. This workforce development programme directly supports the Economic Vision 2030’s human capital objectives.
Nawah: The Operator
Nawah Energy Company was established as a joint venture between ENEC (majority shareholder) and KEPCO to operate and maintain the Barakah plant. Nawah holds the operating licence issued by the Federal Authority for Nuclear Regulation (FANR) and is responsible for the safe, reliable, and efficient operation of all four reactor units.
Nawah operates under the regulatory oversight of FANR, which is established as an independent regulator consistent with International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) standards. The separation between owner (ENEC), operator (Nawah), and regulator (FANR) follows international best practice for nuclear governance.
Energy Security
Barakah fundamentally alters Abu Dhabi’s energy security profile. Prior to the nuclear programme, the emirate depended almost entirely on natural gas for electricity generation. This dependence created a structural vulnerability — Abu Dhabi, despite its massive oil reserves, was a net importer of natural gas for power generation.
Nuclear energy provides diversification of the electricity generation fuel mix, reducing dependence on any single energy source. Barakah’s 5.6 GW of baseload capacity displaces significant volumes of natural gas that would otherwise be consumed for power generation, freeing that gas for industrial use, export, or petrochemical feedstock.
Clean Energy Milestone
Barakah is the single largest source of clean electricity in the Arab world. The plant generates electricity without direct carbon dioxide emissions, making it a cornerstone of the UAE’s climate commitments and Abu Dhabi’s energy transition strategy.
The nuclear programme operates alongside Masdar’s renewable energy portfolio as complementary clean energy sources — nuclear providing continuous baseload generation and renewables (solar and wind) providing variable generation. Together, they form the foundation of Abu Dhabi’s low-carbon electricity future.
Role in Abu Dhabi Economic Vision 2030
The Economic Vision 2030 identifies energy security as a foundational requirement for economic development under Pillar Six: Premium Education, Healthcare, and Infrastructure Assets. Reliable electricity supply is a prerequisite for every diversification objective the vision targets.
Barakah addresses this requirement at scale, adding 5.6 GW of reliable, zero-carbon generation capacity to the emirate’s electricity system. The programme also supports the vision’s knowledge economy objectives through the development of a nuclear engineering workforce and the technology transfer embedded in the KEPCO partnership.
Institutional Significance
The Barakah programme demonstrates Abu Dhabi’s capacity to execute complex, multi-decade infrastructure projects at the highest technical and safety standards. The successful construction and operation of four nuclear reactors — on time and on budget relative to global nuclear construction benchmarks — represents an institutional achievement with few parallels in the region.