Reactor license for first Arab nuclear power plant issued in UAE

The United Arab Emirates has issued an operating license for the first reactor at the Arab world’s first nuclear power plant, a senior official at the nuclear regulator said.

The license granted to the plant’s operator Nawah Energy Company will be for 60 years, deputy chairman of Federal Authority for Nuclear Regulation (FANR) Hamad Al-Kaabi told a news conference.

"This is a historic moment for the UAE, making it the first Arab country in the region to operate a nuclear power plant," Arab  News cited him as saying.

"Today marks a new chapter in our journey for the development of peaceful nuclear energy with the issuing of the operating license for the first (unit of) Barakah plant," Abu Dhabi Crown Prince Sheikh Mohammed bin Zayed Al Nahyan wrote on his official twitter account.

The Barakah nuclear power plant in Abu Dhabi, which is being built by Korea Electric Power Corporation (KEPCO), was originally due to open in 2017, but the start-up of its first reactor has been delayed several times. When completed Barakah will have four reactors with a total capacity of 5,600 megawatts (MW).