UAE’s Nawah signs technical service deal with Cerap for Barakah Plant

Barakah Nuclear Energy Plant
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By Arya M Nair, Official Reporter
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Nawah, a key subsidiary of Abu Dhabi-based Emirates Nuclear Energy Corporation’s (ENEC), has signed an agreement with Cerap, a leading European nuclear services company, to provide technical services in refueling outages and online operations at the Barakah Nuclear Energy Plant.

The agreement was signed at the 4th edition of Emirati-French Industrial Supply Chain Initiative for Nuclear (E-Fusion) at the French Pavilion at Expo 2020 Dubai as part of the French Nuclear Energy Day. Energy experts from local and global nuclear industry companies, as well as government officials, attended the event, which was co-hosted by ENEC and the French Nuclear Industry Group Gifen.

Cerap has been in operation for almost 30 years and serves in over 8 countries. It is currently collaborating with Endel, a French pioneer in industrial maintenance and energy services, to provide Nawah in the UAE with a broad variety of specialized services.

During the event, the participants learned about the latest developments at the Barakah Nuclear Energy Plant, which is located in Abu Dhabi’s Al Dhafra district and is the backbone of the UAE’s Peaceful Nuclear Energy Program. They also discussed the rising opportunities for partnership between UAE and French nuclear energy organizations.

According to ENEC, the Barakah plant is currently more than 96 percent complete and is producing clean electricity 24 hours a day, seven days a week with zero carbon emissions. Unit 1 of the Plant became commercially operational in April 2021, and Unit 2 was connected to the UAE grid in September 2021. 

Unit 2 recently achieved 100 percent power for the first time as part of power ascension testing, which occurs before the Unit’s commercial operation, which is expected in the coming months. The commissioning of Units 3 and 4 is nearing completion.

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