UAE Set to Become Global N-Energy Developer: ENEC

The UAE is determined to become a global developer of nuclear energy projects after heavy investments over the past years turned it into one of the biggest nuclear power producers, according to the country’s nuclear energy authority.

With the full commissioning of four major nuclear reactors in Abu Dhabi’s Western region, the UAE has one of the world’s highest clean energy per capita levels as the plants supply nearly a quarter of the country’s electricity needs, the Emirates Nuclear Energy Corporation (ENEC) said in a report.

The report, published by the semi-official daily Al-Ittihad on Thursday, noted that Barakah plants are the first in the GCC and also the first commercial nuclear energy facilities in the Arab world, adding that 2024 was a “watershed” in ENEC’s operations following the commissioning of the fourth reactor in September.

“As for funding of such projects, ENEC cooperated with the Abu Dhabi Commercial Bank and First Abu Dhabi Bank to achieve the first green financing in the Middle East and Asia…this has opened the way to new funding methods for nuclear energy projects in the region and the entire world,” the report said.

“With the great momentum witnessed by nuclear energy on the global level, attention is turning to the UAE nuclear energy sector after the Barakah plants became a global model to be emulated by countries seeking to develop new nuclear energy programmes…this will open new horizons for ENEC which has begun a new start in its journey to become a strategic investor and global developer of advanced nuclear energy technologies.”