Dubai(ANN)- The United Arab Emirates’ Energy Minister Suhail Al-Mazrouei said yesterday that work at the country’s first nuclear power station will not begin as planned at the end of 2019.

Al-Mazrouei said in a statement: “Nuclear is coming [but] there will be a bit of a delay,” without disclosing the reasons for the postponement.

In July 2018, the Emirates Nuclear Energy Corporation (ENEC) said that work at a reactor at the nuclear power plant depends on the outcome of further reviews of the project.

UAE: Gulf states should take part in Iran treaty talks

When operational, the plant’s four units will provide reliable and environmentally friendly energy to the UAE’s power grid as well as contribute to reducing the emission.

The cost of constructing the Baraka nuclear power plants is $24.4 billion with a power generation capacity of 5,600 MW.

The Korean Electric Power Corporation (KEPCO) is building the plant’s four reactors simultaneously.

The project has previously experienced delays, with the plant operator saying in May last year that starting-up the Arab world’s first nuclear reactor was expected to be between the end of 2019 and early 2020.

Source: middleeastmonitor.com