By Kim Young Deok and Lee Jihae

Korea on Feb. 17 won a permit to operate a nuclear power plant in the United Arab Emirates (UAE) city of Barakah. The plant is the first to be exported by Korea.

The Barakah nuclear plant project began in 2009 after Korea won the order to build it thanks to the UAE's recognition of Korean construction capacity, stability and technical operation skills. Barakah is about 270 km west from Abu Dhabi.

The four nuclear plants Korea has built in the Middle Eastern nation are capable of providing 25% of the national electricity supply.

The UAE's Federal Authority for Nuclear Regulation announced on Feb. 17 that it will approve the plant's operation and is preparing for that by examining safety laws and regulation procedures.

Hamad Alkaabi, the UAE's representative to the International Atomic Energy Agency, told a news conference on Feb. 17 in Abu Dhabi that the approval was the "strategic fruit of a 12-year-long effort."

"The UAE becoming the first Arabian country to run a nuclear power plant is a historic moment," he added.

Slated for completion this year, the Barakah plant will be run by the UAE company Nawah Energy for 60 years.

kyd1991@korea.kr