User:Coolnuclear/Nuclear power in the United Arab Emirates

Barakah nuclear power plant
The Barakah nuclear power plant is the first nuclear power station in the United Arab Emirates. Construction began in 2012, and four APR-1400 nuclear reactors were planned to start operating successively between 2017 and 2020. As of March 2024, all four new nuclear reactors are now fully operational in the Barakah Nuclear station, producing 5,348 MWe of electricity and allowing the UAE to produce 40 TWh of electricity per year, driving the proposed Net Zero economy.

Waste
The UAE has committed large resources in the appropriate disposal of atomic uranium waste products that are generated by running its Barakah Nuclear Power Plant. Committing to a "dual track" radioactive waste management technique that simultaneously develops the nations self storage facilities of nuclear waste while also involving foreign governemental bodies and organizations to help process chemical waste. In the UAE the Barakah Nuclear Powerplant has nuclear pool storage facilities that are able to contain 20 years worth of spent fuel waste before it is moved to longterm storage facility. These Long term storage facilities are concrete and steel containers in which used nuclear waste are then stored called dry casks. Fuel Take back is a foreign stratergy used by the UAE to collect used nuclear waste and return it back to its suppliers. This fuel is then transferred to reprocessing facilities largely concentrated in France.

Plant Decommissioning
Before the Barakah Nuclear power station's development, plans for decommissioning are put in place to ensure its appropriate disposal with respect to the environment around it. The process of plant decommissioning involves multiple departments and its planning includes a range of aspects that are considered at the early stages of development. These stages can consist of ensuring the original site's necessary finances, area, and redevelopment plans. The Nawah Energy Company, the operator of the functioning Barakah Power plant, has put decommissioning plans in part of its operational license about the governing Federal Authority for Nuclear Regulation (FANR). These plans ensure the appropriate disposal of critical nuclear elements five years after the nuclear reactor is shut down. The UAE's nuclear decommissioning process is set to follow a forecasted 13 years for each of the four functioning nuclear plants at the Barakah, managed by the Emirates Nuclear Energy Corporation (ENEC). In addition, along with the 20 billion dollar contract with South Korea's KEPCO, the partnership is planned to extensively cover the training programs, human resource development, and education programs that further include plans of decommission, ensuring that the UAE possesses the required skilled labor in the sophisticated decommissioning processes along with KEPCO for the Barakah Nuclear plants.

Future Nuclear Power Plans in the UAE
The United Arab Emirates (UAE) has planned the addition of reactors in the Barkah facility in Abu Dhabi. As of 2023, the United Arab Emirates began talks with the South Korean Nuclear power contractor (KEPCO) Korea Hydro & Nuclear Power Co. to potentially develop two additional reactors to the existing four operational (APR 1400) reactors at the facility. Soil preparation work has been partially outlined at the Barakah facility, indicating that steps are being implemented to develop the new reactors at the site. The addition of two additional APR(1400) reactors project is estimated at $15.3 billion US dollars. Large steps are being taken, showing the desire for the UAE and Korea to continue the project.

In addition, the UAE's nuclear operator (ENEC) launched the ADVANCE program in November 2023 to maximize its full expertise in Nuclear development programs. This ADVANCE program is set to evaluate Small Modular Reactors (SMRs) and Advanced reactor technologies aimed at providing domestic and international energy solutions.