A nuclear power plant in the oil-rich United Arab Emirates (UAE) has been connected to the country's power grid, authorities said on Wednesday.

The Barakah nuclear power plant in the Emirates' far western desert near the border with Saudi Arabia began sending out electricity, according the state-run WAM news agency. WAM published a photograph of employees working inside of the plant’s control room.

Authorities have not granted journalists access to the plant during its years of construction despite repeated requests. Officials from the International Atomic Energy Agency have seen the site.

On July 31, the plant’s first reactor reached what scientists called its “first criticality." That's when the nuclear chain reaction within the reactor is self-sustaining.

Plans call for four reactors to be operating at Barakah, which authorities say will provide some 25 per cent of all energy needs in this OPEC-member nation.