The Barakah nuclear plant. The United Arab Emirates connected the Arab world’s first nuclear power plant to the country’s grid and began providing electricity, crossing the final threshold to membership in the exclusive club of atomic nations. Built and run by a joint venture with Korea Electric Power Corp. , the Barakah plant will increase production gradually until reaching full capacity within months, its developer, Emirates Nuclear Energy Corp. , said Wednesday. Barakah is the first of four civilian reactors that the government plans to fire up by 2023. The plant is a milestone for the Middle East and the UAE, a seven-member federation that includes commercial hub Dubai and oil-rich Abu Dhabi. The reactors, located along a sparsely populated strip of desert on Abu Dhabi’s Persian Gulf coast, are estimated to cost $25 billion. The government expects them to produce as much as 5.6 gigawatts once they’re fully […]