The UAE and Egypt sign a memorandum of understanding to promote the peaceful use of nuclear energy Al Khaleej newspaper

Abu Dhabi: “The Gulf”

The Emirates Nuclear Energy Corporation and the Egyptian Nuclear Power Plants Authority, the owner and operator of the first nuclear power plant in the Arab Republic of Egypt, signed a memorandum of understanding to explore opportunities for cooperation in promoting the peaceful uses of nuclear energy.

The memorandum of understanding was signed on the sidelines of the Conference of the Parties to the United Nations Convention on Climate Change (COP28), by Mohamed Al Hammadi, Managing Director and CEO of the Emirates Nuclear Energy Corporation, and Professor Dr. Amjad Al-Wakil, Chairman of the Board of Directors of the Egyptian Nuclear Power Plants Authority.

The Emirates Nuclear Energy Corporation, which is responsible for developing the UAE Peaceful Nuclear Energy Program, has gained leadership knowledge and experience in the nuclear energy sector through the development of the Barakah Nuclear Power Plant, which is one of the largest and most advanced nuclear power plants in the world, and has become the largest single source of clean electricity in the region. It is leading efforts aimed at reducing carbon emissions for heavy industries and sectors that require large amounts of energy over the next six decades.

The Foundation also focuses on strategic investments, research, development and innovative methods to meet the growing need for clean energy sources, including new nuclear energy technologies, which contributes to enhancing the pivotal role of the United Arab Emirates in accelerating the global transition to clean energy sources and achieving climate neutrality.

Mohammed Al Hammadi, Managing Director and CEO of the Emirates Nuclear Energy Corporation, said: “Today we are in a race to reduce our carbon footprint, and only the best performers in the field of energy security and sustainability will win this race. Regional cooperation, such as signing the memorandum of understanding with the Egyptian Nuclear Power Plants Authority, is critical to the success of our collective efforts to expand the production capacity of nuclear energy and achieve climate neutrality by 2050.”

Al Hammadi added, “Our vision includes exploring opportunities for further development of nuclear power plants on a large scale, developing advanced reactors and miniature reactors, and moving forward in research and development. This commitment is not limited to the UAE. Through strategic international and regional investments and partnerships, we aim to achieve the broad goals of the UAE peaceful nuclear program. Our new partnerships also aim to ensure a sustainable future for future generations by achieving climate neutrality using nuclear energy.”

The UAE plays a pioneering role in the global transition to clean energy sources, as over the past five years it has added the highest percentage of clean electricity compared to any other country in the world, and the Barakah nuclear power plants produced 75% of the added clean electricity.

The Emirates Nuclear Energy Corporation also plays a leading role in the global march to triple the production capacity of nuclear energy by 2050, in order to meet the growing demand for clean energy and achieve climate neutrality. In this context, the “Nuclear Energy Initiative for Climate Neutrality” was launched by Before the Foundation and the International Nuclear Organization earlier this year to achieve this goal. This initiative has achieved great success following the recent announcement of the commitment of 22 countries to triple the production capacity of nuclear energy globally by 2050.

The agreement of countries on the importance of increasing investments in nuclear energy is crucial to accelerating the reduction of the carbon footprint of heavy industries. In this context, the Emirates Nuclear Energy Corporation seeks with local partners to identify ways to use advanced technologies for nuclear energy, and with international partners to explore opportunities for cooperation in the field of technology and projects. .

Egypt’s peaceful nuclear energy program includes the development of the Dabaa nuclear power station on the Mediterranean coast, about 250 kilometers west of Alexandria. It will include four stations using the VVER-1200 pressurized water reactor, with a total capacity of 4.8 gigawatts, which is equivalent to 50% of the total production. energy. Construction work on the stations began in July 2022, and commercial operation of the first station is expected to begin in 2026, while the four stations will produce electricity as planned commercially by 2030.