Dubai (AFP)
The United Arab Emirates entered the club of countries using civilian nuclear energy on Saturday with the commissioning of their Barakah power plant, the first in the Arab world.
"We are announcing today that the United Arab Emirates have successfully commissioned the number one reactor at the Barakah power plant, the first in the Arab world," tweeted Sheikh Mohammed bin Rached al-Maktoum, Premier Minister of the Emirates and Ruler of Dubai.
"This is a historic moment for the UAE in their goal of providing a new form of clean energy to the nation," commented Hamad Alkaabi, UAE representative to the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA), also welcoming the "success" of the start of the installation.
The Emirates announced on February 17 that it had given the green light to start the plant after a series of tests - without giving a date for its commissioning - and to have entrusted its operation to Nawah Energy Company.
This company, founded in 2016, will eventually operate and maintain the four reactors at the power plant located in the northwest of the country, according to its website.
"This is a new step in our march towards the development of peaceful nuclear energy," said Mohammed ben Zayed al-Nahyane, crown prince of Abu Dhabi.
The facility was built by a consortium led by Emirates Nuclear Energy Corporation (ENEC) and South Korea's Korea Electric Power Corporation (KEPCO), at an estimated cost of $ 24.4 billion.
The first of the four reactors was to be commissioned at the end of 2017 but the start date has been postponed several times to meet, according to officials, the legal safety conditions.
- 25% of needs -
When fully operational, the four reactors will have the capacity to produce 5,600 megawatts of electricity, or about 25% of the needs of the oil-rich United Arab Emirates.
The federal state, made up of seven emirates, has a population of 9.3 million, of which around 80% are expatriates.
Electricity needs are increasing due in particular to the use of air conditioning during scorching summers.
ENEC, a state-owned company, announced in December that loading of nuclear fuel into the reactor would take place in the first quarter of 2020.
Emirati officials have insisted on the "peaceful" nature of their nuclear program and ensure that it contains no military component, in a context of increased regional tensions.
"The Emirates remain attached to the highest standards of nuclear security and non-proliferation as well as to solid and continuous cooperation with the IAEA and national and international partners," Hamad Alkaabi stressed in February.
The country has hosted more than forty international missions and inspections from the IAEA and the World Association of Nuclear Operators (WANO) since 2010.
But neighboring Qatar sees the Barakah power plant as a "threat to regional peace".
Like several of its allies, including Saudi Arabia, Abu Dhabi is diplomatic cold with Qatar, with which it has not maintained official relations since June 2017.
Asked by AFP on the risk that this project will exacerbate tensions in the region, Mr. Alkaabi wanted to be reassuring in February: "I say to critics that if you have any questions, you can ask them, we will be happy answer them (...) and the Emirates are part of many conventions, including that on nuclear security ".
Abu Dhabi also maintains strained ties with Tehran, which was also heavily sanctioned by the international community because of its controversial nuclear program until the signing of an agreement with the major world powers in 2015 in Vienna.
But Washington unilaterally withdrew from the deal in May 2018, reinstating several sanctions packages against Iran. As a result, the latter notably resumed uranium enrichment in September 2019 at its Natanz site.
Located on the coast, Barakah is therefore separated from Iran, opposite, only by the waters of the Gulf.
Great ally of the Emirates, the United States is pursuing a policy of "maximum pressure" against the Islamic Republic, accused of sowing trouble in the region.
© 2020 AFP