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UAE's Barakah Nuclear Plant Doubles Clean Electricity Generation with Start of Commercial Operations at Unit 2

The Emirates Nuclear Energy Corporation (ENEC) announced the start of commercial operations of Unit 2 at the Barakah Nuclear Energy Plant.
The Emirates Nuclear Energy Corporation (ENEC) announced the start of commercial operations of Unit 2 at the Barakah Nuclear Energy Plant.
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UAE's Barakah Nuclear Plant Doubles Clean Electricity Generation with Start of Commercial Operations at Unit 2

The Emirates Nuclear Energy Corporation (ENEC) announced the start of commercial operations of Unit 2 at the Barakah Nuclear Energy Plant.
The Emirates Nuclear Energy Corporation (ENEC) announced the start of commercial operations of Unit 2 at the Barakah Nuclear Energy Plant.

The Emirates Nuclear Energy Corporation (ENEC) announced on Thursday the start of commercial operations of Unit 2 at the Barakah Nuclear Energy Plant, reported the United Arab Emirates' state news agency (WAM).

Unit 2 adds 1,400 megawatts of zero-carbon emission electricity to the national grid, bringing the total produced by Units 1 and 2 to 2,800 megawatts and further securing energy supply and advancing the UAE's sustainability goals.

This new milestone takes ENEC and its subsidiaries to the halfway mark of delivering on its commitment to supply up a quarter of the country's electricity needs, reliably powering the economy by generating clean electricity 24/7 and significantly contributing to the UAE's Net-Zero by 2050 initiative.

With Unit 2 commercially operational, the Barakah Plant, the first multi-unit operating plant in the Arab world, is leading the largest decarbonization of any industry in the region, delivering thousands of megawatts of carbon-free electricity every single day.

Mohamed Ibrahim Al Hammadi, Managing Director and CEO of ENEC, said: "The Barakah Nuclear Energy Plant is a sustainable powerhouse for the UAE. The start of commercial operations at Unit 2 doubles the Barakah Plant's generation of emissions-free electricity, enabling rapid decarbonization of the UAE's power sector in pursuit of Net Zero 2050."

"With Unit 2 reaching commercial operations less than 12 months after Unit 1, we have demonstrated the UAE's megaproject capabilities, building institutional knowledge to enhance delivery to the highest standards and offer a successful case study for other nations looking to diversify their energy portfolio using a proven and sustainable technology."

While increasingly supporting the country's strategy to diversify energy sources in a shift towards cleaner energy, ENEC is also spearheading the UAE Net-Zero by 2050 Strategic Initiative by preventing millions of tons of carbon emissions and helping to tackle climate change and deliver climate solutions.

When its four units are commercially operating, the Barakah Plant will produce up to 25 percent of the UAE's electricity needs and prevent about 22.4 million tons of carbon emissions annually, equivalent to the emissions of 4.8 million cars. The Barakah Plant significantly boosts the UAE's energy security through domestic clean electricity generation.

By 2025, the plant will generate more than 85 percent of Abu Dhabi's clean electricity, making it the biggest contributor to reducing Abu Dhabi's carbon emissions by 50 percent by the middle of the decade.

Nasser Al Nasseri, the CEO of Barakah One Company, ENEC's subsidiary in charge of representing the financial and commercial interests of the Barakah Plant project, said: "Today is an integral day for the delivery of the Barakah Nuclear Energy Plant project with the commercial operations of Unit 2, we are now selling double the volume of electricity to the Emirates Water and Electricity Company (EWEC) per the Power Purchase Agreement signed in 2016."

"We are committed to efficient and reliable power generation to ensure homes, businesses and industry across the UAE have continuous access to clean baseload electricity and will do so for the coming 60 years ahead. The sale of electricity further supports Abu Dhabi's Clean Energy Certification program, allowing more businesses to demonstrate the sustainability credentials and stimulating the growth of our Net Zero economy."

The commercial operations of Unit 2 were completed with the continuous support of EWEC and the Abu Dhabi Transmission and Dispatch Company (TRANSCO). EWEC and TRANSCO's support in maintaining a world-class electric grid infrastructure is critical for the reliable distribution of electricity from the Barakah Plant. They ensured that the clean electricity generated at Barakah is delivered to consumers across the UAE safely and sustainably.

Ali Al Hammadi, CEO of Nawah Energy Company, ENEC's subsidiary mandated to operate and maintain the Barakah Plant, commented: "The start of Unit 2 commercial operations comes as a result of the world-class operating experience of our teams made up of UAE nationals and international experts. Over the years, they have the skills and expertise in the nuclear industry to safely provide constant, reliable and sustainable clean electricity around the clock from two identical units operating in parallel."

"We are committed to operating the plant in line with the UAE's robust regulations and international best practice on our ongoing journey to operating excellence."

Unit 2 joins Unit 1, which kicked off commercial operation in April 2021. Units 3 and 4 are in the final stages of commissioning, with Unit 3 construction already complete and now undergoing operational readiness preparations and Unit 4 is in the final stages of construction completion. The development of the Barakah Plant is now more than 96 percent complete, having steadily progressed since construction started in 2012.

The Barakah Nuclear Energy Plant, located in the Al Dhafra Region of the Emirate of Abu Dhabi, is one of the largest nuclear energy plants in the world, with four APR-1400 units. While delivering on its clean energy vision through the peaceful nuclear program, ENEC also provides talented UAE youth with the skills, capabilities and experience necessary to become the future leaders of the nation's growing peaceful nuclear energy sector.

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Business

Leading Harvard Trade Economist Says Saudi Arabia Holds Key to Success in Fragmented Global Economy

Professor Pol Antràs speaks during a panel discussion at the AlUla Conference for Emerging Market Economies (Asharq Al-Awsat).
Professor Pol Antràs speaks during a panel discussion at the AlUla Conference for Emerging Market Economies (Asharq Al-Awsat).
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Leading Harvard Trade Economist Says Saudi Arabia Holds Key to Success in Fragmented Global Economy

Professor Pol Antràs speaks during a panel discussion at the AlUla Conference for Emerging Market Economies (Asharq Al-Awsat).
Professor Pol Antràs speaks during a panel discussion at the AlUla Conference for Emerging Market Economies (Asharq Al-Awsat).

Harvard University economics professor Pol Antràs said Saudi Arabia represents an exceptional model in the shifting global trade landscape, differing fundamentally from traditional emerging-market frameworks. He also stressed that globalization has not ended but has instead re-formed into what he describes as fragmented integration.

Speaking to Asharq Al-Awsat on the sidelines of the AlUla Conference for Emerging Market Economies, Antràs said Saudi Arabia’s Vision-driven structural reforms position the Kingdom to benefit from the ongoing phase of fragmented integration, adding that the country’s strategic focus on logistics transformation and artificial intelligence constitutes a key engine for sustainable growth that extends beyond the volatility of global crises.

Antràs, the Robert G. Ory Professor of Economics at Harvard University, is one of the leading contemporary theorists of international trade. His research, which reshaped understanding of global value chains, focuses on how firms organize cross-border production and how regulation and technological change influence global trade flows and corporate decision-making.

He said conventional classifications of economies often obscure important structural differences, noting that the term emerging markets groups together countries with widely divergent industrial bases. Economies that depend heavily on manufacturing exports rely critically on market access and trade integration and therefore face stronger competitive pressures from Chinese exports that are increasingly shifting toward alternative markets.

Saudi Arabia, by contrast, exports extensively while facing limited direct competition from China in its primary export commodity, a situation that creates a strategic opportunity. The current environment allows the Kingdom to obtain imports from China at lower cost and access a broader range of goods that previously flowed largely toward the United States market.

Addressing how emerging economies should respond to dumping pressures and rising competition, Antràs said countries should minimize protectionist tendencies and instead position themselves as committed participants in the multilateral trading system, allowing foreign producers to access domestic markets while encouraging domestic firms to expand internationally.

He noted that although Chinese dumping presents concerns for countries with manufacturing sectors that compete directly with Chinese production, the risk is lower for Saudi Arabia because it does not maintain a large manufacturing base that overlaps directly with Chinese exports. Lower-cost imports could benefit Saudi consumers, while targeted policy tools such as credit programs, subsidies, and support for firms seeking to redesign and upgrade business models represent more effective responses than broad protectionist measures.

Globalization has not ended

Antràs said globalization continues but through more complex structures, with trade agreements increasingly negotiated through diverse arrangements rather than relying primarily on multilateral negotiations. Trade deals will continue to be concluded, but they are likely to become more complex, with uncertainty remaining a defining feature of the global trading environment.

Interest rates and artificial intelligence

According to Antràs, high global interest rates, combined with the additional risk premiums faced by emerging markets, are constraining investment, particularly in sectors that require export financing, capital expenditure, and continuous quality upgrading.

However, he noted that elevated interest rates partly reflect expectations of stronger long-term growth driven by artificial intelligence and broader technological transformation.

He also said if those growth expectations materialize, productivity gains could enable small and medium-sized enterprises to forecast demand more accurately and identify previously untapped markets, partially offsetting the negative effects of higher borrowing costs.

Employment concerns and the role of government

The Harvard professor warned that labor markets face a dual challenge stemming from intensified Chinese export competition and accelerating job automation driven by artificial intelligence, developments that could lead to significant disruptions, particularly among younger workers. He said governments must adopt proactive strategies requiring substantial fiscal resources to mitigate near-term labor-market shocks.

According to Antràs, productivity growth remains the central condition for success: if new technologies deliver the anticipated productivity gains, governments will gain the fiscal space needed to compensate affected groups and retrain the workforce, achieving a balance between addressing short-term disruptions and investing in long-term strategic gains.

Business

Aljadaan: Emerging Markets Account for 70% of Global Growth

Al-Jadaan speaking to the attendees at the "AlUla Conference for Emerging Market Economies" (Asharq Al-Awsat
Al-Jadaan speaking to the attendees at the "AlUla Conference for Emerging Market Economies" (Asharq Al-Awsat
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Aljadaan: Emerging Markets Account for 70% of Global Growth

Al-Jadaan speaking to the attendees at the "AlUla Conference for Emerging Market Economies" (Asharq Al-Awsat
Al-Jadaan speaking to the attendees at the "AlUla Conference for Emerging Market Economies" (Asharq Al-Awsat

Saudi Minister of Finance Mohammed Aljadaan stressed Sunday that the world economy is going through a “profound transition,” saying emerging markets and developing economies now account for nearly 60 percent of the global Gross Domestic Product (GDP) in purchasing power terms and over 70 percent of global growth.

In his opening remarks at the AlUla Conference for Emerging Market Economies, organized by the Saudi Ministry of Finance and the IMF in AlUla, the minister said these economies have become an increasingly important driver of global growth with their share of global economy more than doubling since 2010.

“Today, the 10 emerging economies in the G20 alone account for more than half of the world growth. Yet, they face a more complex and fragmented environment, elevated debt levels, slower trade growth and increasing exposure to geopolitical shocks.”

“Unfortunately, more than half of low income countries are either in or at the risk of debt distress. At the same time global trade growth has slowed at around half of what it was pre the pandemic,” Aljadaan added.

The Finance Minister stressed that the Saudi experience over the past decade has reinforced three lessons that may be relevant to the discussions at the two-day conference, which brings together a select group of ministers and central bank governors, leaders of international organizations, leading investors and academics.

“First, macroeconomic stability is not the enemy of growth. It is actually the foundation,” he said.

“Structural reforms deliver results only when institutions deliver. So there is no point of reforming ... if the institutions are unable to deliver,” he stated.

Finally, he said that “international cooperation matters more, not less, in a fragmented world.”

Business

Georgieva from AlUla: Growth Still Lacks Pre-pandemic Levels

Kristalina Georgieva speaking to attendees at the second edition of the AlUla Conference for Emerging Market Economies (Asharq Al-Awsat)
Kristalina Georgieva speaking to attendees at the second edition of the AlUla Conference for Emerging Market Economies (Asharq Al-Awsat)
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Georgieva from AlUla: Growth Still Lacks Pre-pandemic Levels

Kristalina Georgieva speaking to attendees at the second edition of the AlUla Conference for Emerging Market Economies (Asharq Al-Awsat)
Kristalina Georgieva speaking to attendees at the second edition of the AlUla Conference for Emerging Market Economies (Asharq Al-Awsat)

International Monetary Fund (IMF) Managing Director Kristalina Georgieva said Sunday that world growth still lacks pre-pandemic levels, expressing concern as she expected more shocks amid high spending and rising debt levels in many countries.

Georgieva spoke at the AlUla Conference for Emerging Market Economies, organized by the Saudi Ministry of Finance and the IMF in AlUla.

The two-day conference brings together a select group of ministers and central bank governors, leaders of international organizations, leading investors and academics to deliberate on policies to global stability, prosperity, and multilateral collaboration.

Georgieva said that the conference was launched last year in recognition of the growing role of emerging market economies in a world of sweeping transformations.

“I came out of this gathering .... With a sense of hope for the pragmatic attitude and determination to pursue good policies and build strong institutions,” she said.

Georgieva stressed that “good policies pay off,” and said that growth rates across emerging economies reached four percent this year, exceeding by a large margin those of advanced economies that are around 1.5 percent.