Mohamed Ibrahim Al Hammadi, Chief Executive Officer of the Emirates Nuclear Energy Corporation, ENEC, yesterday held virtual talks with Mark W. Menezes, US Deputy Secretary of Energy, to discuss the latest developments in the energy sector and identify areas of cooperation.
John Rakolta, the US Ambassador to the UAE was also present during the discussion focused on cooperation opportunities for the peaceful uses of nuclear energy, including cybersecurity collaboration. Al Hammadi emphasised ENEC’s commitment to working with international partners, and to build successful relationships to facilitate the exchange of knowledge and experience in pursuit of continuous improvement and operational excellence.
For over a decade, the US and UAE have had a bilateral agreement in place on peaceful nuclear energy cooperation, known as the ‘123 Agreement’. This was signed in December 2009 and followed reviews between the UAE and US on nuclear energy collaboration between the two countries.
In developing its peaceful nuclear energy programme, the UAE has created a model for peaceful nuclear energy development that other nations can follow as they work to diversify and strengthen their own energy infrastructure towards cleaner sources of electricity.
Earlier this year, ENEC announced that its operations and maintenance subsidiary, Nawah Energy Company, had safely and successfully connected Unit 1 of the Barakah Nuclear Energy Plant to the UAE grid, and is dispatching its first megawatts of clean electricity to the Nation. The Barakah plant is supporting UAE electrification and decarbonisation efforts, as well as driving economic diversification through the creation of thousands of high-value jobs within a sustainable local nuclear energy industry and supply chain.
