20 September 2023 – Washington, D.C.

The U.S.- U.A.E. Business Council and Nuclear Energy Institute (NEI) hosted a breakfast discussion with Emirates Nuclear Energy Corporation (ENEC) Managing Director and CEO H.E. Mohamed Al Hammadi in Washington, D.C. on Wednesday September 20^th. This breakfast occurred during the UN General Assembly and New York Climate Week as part of the Business Council’s “Road to COP28” programming series.

Danny Sebright, President of the U.S.-U.A.E. Business Council, and Carol Berrigan, Executive Director, Federal Programs and Supplier Relationships at NEI, welcomed the ENEC delegation to Washington, D.C. in what has become an annual tradition. They emphasized the importance of the U.A.E.’s nuclear energy program as a global example of the potential of nuclear as a clean energy source. Moreover, they urged the nuclear energy industry to be present at COP28, which the U.A.E. will host in November 2023.

H.E. Al Hammadi introduced the Net Zero Nuclear platform and asked Business Council President Danny Sebright to be an ambassador to the U.S. business community for this important platform. The World Nuclear Association and ENEC jointly launched ‘Net Zero Nuclear’ earlier this month in London with the support of the Atoms4NetZero initiative of the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA). Net Zero Nuclear aims to bring together political leaders and industry to engage in data-driven, actionable, solutions-focused dialogue to enable the rapid expansion of the global nuclear fleet. H.E. Al Hammadi discussed the three main goals of the new platform: recognition of nuclear as a clean energy source for decarbonization, collaborative action now to triple global nuclear capacity by 2050, and ensuring nuclear energy’s potential is fully realized across all audiences as industry works to decarbonize global energy systems. The World Nuclear Association and ENEC will host the Net Zero Nuclear Summit during COP28on 7-8^th December, and they intend for Net Zero Nuclear to be legacy for future COPs.

H.E. Al Hammadi and ENEC Strategy and Planning Director Mohamed Al Braiki spoke of the importance of nuclear power in meeting the U.A.E.’s renewable energy goals. ENEC owns and operates nuclear energy plants in the U.A.E., and currently has three commercially operational units online producing over 30,000 gigawatts of clean electricity annually. The final unit of the Barakah Plant has commenced operational readiness preparations. When online, the U.A.E.’s four nuclear plants will collectively deliver 25% of the U.A.E.’s electricity, making nuclear energy a key solution for driving energy security and energy sustainability in the U.A.E.

Mr. Al Hammadi and Mr. Al Braiki, who was recently announced Acting CEO of Emirates Nuclear Consulting Company, outlined opportunities for partnership with U.S. companies in the next phase of ENEC’s operations. Mr. Al Braiki noted that ENEC has benefited from the expertise of over 200 U.S. companies throughout the development of the Barakah plant. ENEC’s new consulting arm will provide further opportunities for U.S. industry partnerships. Bilateral mechanisms such as the U.S.-U.A.E. Partnership for Accelerating Clean Energy (PACE) will also help foster deeper cooperation between the U.S. and U.A.E. on nuclear energy worldwide, as evidenced by a recent nuclear project in Romania. There is also potential for bilateral cooperation on SMRs and in developing green hydrogen and other clean molecules and process heat for industrial decarbonization.

For more information on Net Zero Nuclear please visit netzeronuclear.org or email info@netzeronuclear.org.

For more information on the U.S.-U.A.E. Business Council’s work in the nuclear energy space or our upcoming events related to COP28, please contact Graham Reitman at greitman@usuaebusiness.org.