January 17, 2023: His Excellency (HE) Mohamed Ibrahim Al Hammadi, Managing Director and Chief Executive Officer of the Emirates Nuclear Energy Corporation (ENEC) commented on the importance of the visits of His Highness Sheikh Mohamed bin Zayed Al Nahyan, President of the UAE and Yoon Suk Yeol, President of the Republic of Korea, to the Barakah Nuclear Energy Plant. The visit represents the UAE leadership’s long-standing support for the megaproject, which is the cornerstone of the UAE Peaceful Nuclear Energy Program. The Barakah Plant today plays a pivotal role in providing abundant clean electricity, rapidly decarbonizing the power sector and enhancing domestic energy security.
H.E. Al Hammadi said: 'The Barakah Plant is now recognized as a benchmark for new nuclear energy projects around the world and has highlighted the leading role of the UAE in the global clean energy transition. This is a result of the strategic vision of the UAE’s leadership who made the decision to invest in nuclear energy more than 14 years ago. Thanks to the support of our leadership, ENEC and our Korean partners developed a new model for financing and managing an advanced nuclear energy megaproject, which is now rapidly decarbonizing the UAE’s power sector.
He added: “With the completion of Unit 3 of the Barakah Plant, ENEC is now only a few steps away from contributing 25% of the UAE’s electricity demand with zero emissions, decarbonizing the power sector and accounting for 25% of the UAE’s National Determined Contribution for reducing carbon emissions by 2030. We are now focused on realizing the full value of the UAE Peaceful Nuclear Energy Program, with the Barakah Plant serving as a catalyst for innovation in the clean energy transition.”