Without having any knowledge of the project outside the stuff printed in this link (and thanks to OP for posting it), I do know that safety features run up to about 30%+ of the cost of a nuclear power plant. Plans for Barakah were started long before solar became a thing here, and especially at bottoming out prices it's being contracted and will soon be produced at.

So, while I'm sure core safety is not compromised (would Areva really allow itself to be in a project which can later blow up in today's climate of total fear of nuclear energy), I bet design decisions had to do with ultimate cost of producing electricity. Energy may be free once it starts generating but the road to paying back the CAPEX of a nuclear power plant runs not so far to the total lifecycle of the plant.

If the project was not near completion (read: sunk costs), I bet there are decision makers who'd love to pull out of the whole thing.

Ultimately, makes a lot of sense to bring nuclear energy industry to the Middle East, with effects similar to bringing other tech industries such as aero, space etc. before.