By Michael Amdi Madsen, IAEA Office of Public Information and Communication

The United Arab Emirates (UAE) is a global pioneer in innovation and a regional leader in using nuclear energy to meet its sustainable energy and climate action ambitions, IAEA Director-General Rafael Mariano Grossi said during his trip to the Gulf state. Travelling to the two emirates of Abu Dhabi and Dubai, Mr. Grossi met with senior government officials, including the Minister of Foreign Affairs and International Cooperation Sheikh Abdullah bin Zayed bin Sultan Al Nahyan, and visited the Barakah Nuclear Power Plant.

Meeting Minister Abdullah bin Zayed at the Dubai EXPO on Tuesday evening, Grossi remarked on the UAE’s history since its foundation 50 years ago. The UAE has in half a century transformed from an economy reliant on fishing and a pearling, to a regional economic powerhouse for energy, trade and tourism.

The UAE is an important IAEA partner and the first Arabic speaking country to have a fully-fledged nuclear power programme.

 Said IAEA Director-General: “The UAE is an example of turning vision into reality. Foresighted leadership has steered the country towards prosperity and greater influence in its region,” Mr Grossi told the Minister. He praised the country’s efforts to develop technical scientific skills in its populace through its own peaceful nuclear and space programmes, saying such initiatives will help further spur economic development, enable the country to meet its ambitions, and inspire innovation in future generations.

Grossi and Sheikh Abdullah bin Zayed also discussed the role of nuclear energy and applications in tackling climate change and agreed that the IAEA and the UAE will work closely together to highlight the role of nuclear energy and applications at COP28 — the annual United Nations climate change conference the UAE will host in 2023.

The UAE is an advocate for nuclear power and the first country in the Gulf Cooperation Council to produce nuclear energy, at its Barakah Nuclear Power Plant in Abu Dhabi. The country considers nuclear power a cornerstone of its net-zero ambitions and foresees nuclear energy and renewables constituting 50 per cent of its installed power capacity by 2050.

Sheikh Abdullah bin Zayed thanked the IAEA for the support it has provided to the UAE in establishing its nuclear programme through the IAEA’s Milestones Approach. They discussed close cooperation in other areas, including the ZODIAC project for assisting countries in addressing zoonotic disease outbreaks, and ‘Rays of Hope’, a forthcoming initiative to be launched in February 2022, that will seek to increase access to cancer care globally.

Safe, low-carbon energy in Abu Dhabi

Grossi visited the Barakah Nuclear Power Plant and met its operators, describing the site as an impressive point of reference for nuclear power possibilities. Situated almost 300 kilometres west of Abu Dhabi, the Barakah Power Plant consists of four reactor units, two of which are already connected to the grid with one in commercial operation producing electricity. Once all units are in full operation, the power plant will produce 5.6 gigawatts of electricity for 60 years.

Grossi also visited the UAE’s Federal Authority for Nuclear Regulation and the country’s radiological emergency centre in Abu Dhabi. In October, the UAE hosted a large-scale international emergency exercise simulating a radiological incident at the Barakah Nuclear Power Plant, called Convex-3. Grossi thanked the UAE for its participation in Convex-3 and for helping make the exercise a success.

Grossi concluded his visit in the UAE with a lecture at Khalifa University in Abu Dhabi, the first IAEA Collaborating Centre in the area of nuclear power infrastructure development: “The UAE is an important IAEA partner and the first Arabic speaking country to have a fully-fledged nuclear power programme. It also has a high degree of advancement in nuclear sciences and applications, as proven by this university,” he said.

His lecture spoke to a virtual and physical audience on ‘Collaborating to Advance Nuclear Energy in the UAE and Beyond.’ A recording of the lecture is available on YouTube.