Prince Abdulaziz bin Salman Al Saud, Minister of Energy of Saudi Arabia, has visited the Barakah Nuclear Energy Plant located in the Al Dhafra region of the Emirate of Abu Dhabi, along with a delegation of senior energy officials.
The delegation witnessed the progress and success of the first operational multi-unit nuclear energy plant in the Middle East Region, which is delivering clean electricity for the UAE and rapidly decarbonizing the Nation’s power sector, WAM reports.
The delegation was welcomed by Suhail bin Mohammed Al Mazrouei, Minister of Energy and Infrastructure, and Mohamed Ibrahim Al Hammadi, Managing Director and Chief Executive Officer of Emirates Nuclear Energy Corporation (ENEC), Ali Al Hammadi Chief Executive Officer of Nawah Energy Company, ENEC’s subsidiary mandated to operate and maintain the Barakah Plant, Nasser Al Nasseri Chief Executive Officer of Barakah One Company, ENEC’s subsidiary responsible for the financial aspects of the Plant, and senior leadership members.
The delegation met with talented UAE professionals leading teams of more than 50 different nationalities at ENEC, and its subsidiaries.
The Minister of Energy of Saudi Arabia was accompanied on his visit by Dr. Khalid Alsultan, President of King Abdullah City for Atomic and Renewable Energy, Saudi Arabia, Dr. Khalid Aleissa, Chief Executive Officer of Nuclear and Radiology Regulatory Commission, Saudi Arabia, Dr. Mahir Alodan, Head of Studies and Research Sector, Saudi Arabia and Dr. Mohammed Qarwan, Chief of Atomic Energy Oversight Bureau, Saudi Arabia.
Prince Abdulaziz bin Salman said, “My visit to the Barakah Nuclear Energy Plant, the pioneering project of the United Arab Emirates, comes in line with the growing awareness of the importance of nuclear energy. Nuclear energy technologies play a vital role in diversifying energy sources and the economy to achieve sustainable development.
“We congratulate the UAE for hosting the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change’s Conference of the Parties 28 (COP 28) in 2023, which comes as a recognition of its efforts to tackle climate change. Holding the conference in the region enhances our collective efforts to ensure a sustainable future,” he added.
Al Mazrouei said, “I am honoured to welcome my Saudi counterpart HRH Prince Abdulaziz Bin Salman Al Saud, and the delegation of energy officials, which enhances the bi-lateral cooperation between the UAE and Saudi Arabia on clean energy initiatives to accelerate the sustainability and decarbonisation of the energy sector. This will also support the Net Zero initiatives announced by both countries to address the urgency for climate change action.”
Al Hammadi commented, “The UAE Peaceful Nuclear Energy Program’s flagship project – the Barakah Plant – and our highly-skilled and well-trained nuclear professionals, have demonstrated remarkable progress in delivering climate change solutions. Today, the country’s peaceful nuclear power program is playing a vital role in achieving the goals of Net Zero 2050 by providing abundant zero-carbon electricity and preventing millions of tons of carbon emissions. Teams led by Emirati nationals of nuclear operators at the Barakah Plant are fully-equipped with first-hand knowledge and expertise that can benefit new nuclear energy programs to achieve their sustainability goals.”
The Barakah Plant, with its rapid decarbonisation of the power sector, is delivering climate solutions today through commercial operations of Unit 1 which started in April 2021. ENEC is progressing smoothly towards supplying a quarter of the UAE’s electricity needs completely carbon-free. When fully operational, the four Units of the Barakah Plant will prevent 21 million tons of carbon emissions every year for more than 60 years.
The development of the Barakah Plant as a whole is now more than 96 percent complete. The plant will produce 5.6 gigawatts of free carbon electricity for the next 60 years when fully operational. By powering millions of businesses and households with abundant, clean electricity from the Barakah Plant, ENEC is leading the greatest decarbonization effort in the region, with Unit 1 being the largest single electricity generator in the Arab World.
By 2025, the Barakah Plant will have cut Abu Dhabi Emirate’s carbon emissions by 50%, demonstrating the significant abilities of nuclear energy in producing baseload electricity without generating carbon emissions.
***
“Dirty, unstable, and expensive energy”: on the eve of the climate summit in Glasgow, NGO published an anti-nuclear statement. Read the details here.
