UAE becomes first country in Arab World to produce nuclear energy

Facts:

  • Barakah nuclear power plant: It is the United Arab Emirates’s first nuclear power station and the first commercial nuclear power station in the Arab World.
  • The Nuclear plant has achieved criticality and has successfully started towards power production.

Additional Facts:

  • Criticality: It is a term that signifies the initiation of a controlled but sustained nuclear fission reaction.
  • Nuclear Fission: It is a process in which the nucleus of an atom splits into two or more smaller nuclei and usually some byproduct particles.
    • When the nucleus splits, the kinetic energy of the fission fragments is transferred to other atoms in the fuel as heat energy, which is eventually used to produce steam to drive the turbines.