Systems will now be tested at various power levels The Barakah nuclear power station in the UAE has four South Korean APR-1400 PWR units. Image courtesy Enec / Nawah. United Arab Emirates nuclear operator Nawah Energy Company has successfully completed fuel loading for Unit 2 of the Barakah nuclear power station near Ruwais, Abu Dhabi, a statement by the company said.

The operation began on 15 March 2021 after the UAE nuclear regulator awarded an operating licence to Barkah-2 a week earlier.

Nawah said operators will now begin a process known as power ascension testing, in which Unit 2 systems are gradually tested at various power levels in order to move into full electricity production.

In March 2020, Nawah completed loading 241 fuel assemblies into Barakah-1 which lead to the physical startup of the unit in August, making it the first nuclear power plant to do so in the Arab world.

Fuel for Barakah has been manufactured under a 2015 contract by Korea Electric Power Corporation Nuclear Fuels (Kepco KNF), which receives enriched uranium from Urenco. Six companies make up in the fuel supply chain for Barakah, including also ConverDyn, UraniumOne, Orano, and RioTinto.

The Barakah nuclear station, in the Al Dhafra region of the Emirate of Abu Dhabi, has four 1,345-MW APR-1400 pressurised water reactor units supplied by main contractor and joint venture partner Korea Electric Power Corporation (Kepco).

Construction of Barakah-2 began in April 2013 and was completed in July 2020.

The recently awarded operating licence authorises the plant to operate for 60 years. However, grid connection and commercial operation are still ahead for operator Nawah.