During an episode of the Decouple podcast, the host Dr. Chris Keefer spoke with H.E. Mohamed Al Hammadi, the CEO of the Emirates Nuclear Energy Corporation (ENEC), to discuss the UAE’s progress in the nuclear energy sector.
Al Hammadi shared his insights on successfully delivering a nuclear program, as the UAE achieved the feat of completing a new nuclear program within an efficient timeline and budget, marking the first country to do so in 27 years, according to WAM.
He discussed how the UAE began exploring clean energy sources in 2006, leading to investments in both intermittent renewable energy and baseload nuclear energy. This paved the way for the Barakah Nuclear Energy Plant, the first of its kind in the Arab world.
Al Hammadi analysed why nuclear energy was seen as the right choice for the UAE. “Nuclear has high levels of energy density, it is clean, safe, reliable and produces abundant clean electricity 24/7. This is incredibly important for guaranteeing energy security. When I was young in my career as an engineer, I learnt the importance of baseload (constant) electricity for the grid, as it provides stability that is critical for powering homes and cities. Nuclear offers all of that, whilst being commercially and economically viable. Today our investments in nuclear are paying dividends as we have three commercially operating Units at Barakah, with a fourth soon to be complete,” said Al Hammadi.
Dr. Chris Keefer praised Mohamed Al Hammadi for the UAE’s successful implementation of their Peaceful Nuclear Energy program. Despite the challenges of the global financial crisis and the COVID-19 pandemic, the UAE was able to complete the project within the designated timeline and budget, making it one of the world’s leading new nuclear energy projects.
Al Hammadi shared that the ENEC is now directing their efforts towards innovation and research and development, with a particular focus on small modular reactors (SMRs) and next-generation reactors. Additionally, they are exploring the production of clean molecules such as steam, hydrogen, and ammonia, along with heat, to decarbonize sectors that are difficult to transition to clean energy, such as shipping and aviation.
Al Hammadi added, “Net Zero by 2050 without nuclear energy is impossible. More and more countries are realising this, and COP28 in the UAE in November will be a great opportunity to showcase the success of nuclear, based on science, facts and data. Clean electricity from Barakah is enabling us to now innovate in areas like clean hydrogen. I see the opportunity to provide higher temperature steam to the chemical industry. Moving forward, we will continue to help other countries through our knowledge and talent to drive decarbonisation of the energy sector and collectively meet the climate change and energy security challenge.”
