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ABU DHABI, 16th January, 2023 (WAM) — His Highness Sheikh Mohamed bin Zayed Al Nahyan, President, and Yoon Hee-yeol, President of the Republic of Korea, today visited the Barakah Nuclear Power Plant to celebrate the completion of Unit 3 and Witness continued progress at the factory in the Al Dhafra area of ​​Abu Dhabi, UAE.
The presidential visit is in line with the existing special strategic partnership efforts between the UAE and South Korea, with a number of government-level agreements recently signed.
The two leaders praised the extraordinary achievements of the Barakah Nuclear Power Plant, the first civilian nuclear power plant in the Arab world and the largest source of clean electricity in the region, for more than a decade.
His Highness Sheikh Mohamed bin Zayed and President Yin visited the Barakah factory, which produces clean, zero-emission electricity to sustainably power the UAE. The two leaders witnessed the continued operation of Units 1 and 2, the completion of Unit 3 and the progress of Unit 4 in accelerating the UAE’s clean energy transition, generating the 24/7 carbon-free baseload electricity the UAE needs , to complement its renewable energy projects in line with the UAE’s commitment to achieve net-zero emissions by 2050.
During their visit, the leaders met with the team working at Barakah, which included Emirati and Korean nuclear energy experts working side-by-side with experts from around the world. More than 50 nationalities work on Barakah, and once fully operational, it will provide up to 25 percent of the UAE’s electricity needs without generating any carbon emissions, while releasing natural gas resources equivalent to billions of dollars.
His Highness Sheikh Mohamed bin Zayed praised the efforts of UAE and South Korean experts over the past decade to develop the Barakah Nuclear Power Plant according to the highest safety standards and best practices in the nuclear energy industry. As a result, the Barakah Nuclear Power Plant has become a model for new nuclear energy projects around the world, providing the UAE with strategically important clean energy.
His Highness Sheikh Mohammed said the special strategic partnership between the UAE and the Republic of Korea has brought significant benefits to both countries, enabling bilateral cooperation in several key areas, including nuclear energy. Given the parallel challenges of the current energy security crisis and the climate change emergency, this collaboration plays a vital role in supporting international efforts to achieve global energy security and drive sustainable development – ​​a key priority for all countries.
“The relationship between the UAE and the Republic of Korea has been strengthened through a decade-long collaboration to develop the Barakah nuclear power plant. In 2009, the UAE prioritized energy security while accelerating a rapid transition to clean energy through the use of civilian nuclear power. I am proud of the collaboration of the UAE, Korean and international teams at Barakah as they complete another unit to strengthen the UAE’s clean power portfolio and set a global benchmark for nuclear energy project delivery,” said Sheikh Mohammad bin Zaha His Royal Highness Yede added.
The two leaders commended the initial progress of the recently launched Net Zero Acceleration Program, which builds on the two countries’ shared interest in strengthening cooperation in the energy sector and their proven track record in delivering complex energy megaprojects. Through the program, the two countries will work together to identify and develop projects that contribute to net-zero emissions in both countries and globally. They will leverage areas of competitive advantage to deliver lower-cost net-zero infrastructure across the entire range of technologies required for a successful clean energy transition.
In his speech, South Korean President Yoon Suk Yeol emphasized that “two of the Barakah nuclear fleet are in operation and the other two are about to become operational, which is a major milestone as it represents a special strategic partnership between the United Arab Emirates and South Korea. Relationship. Republic of Korea. Building on our mutual success as partners at Barakah, leveraging the excellent nuclear expertise and experience of the Korean team, it is now time to take our partnership to the next level with more collaboration in the UAE , and making progress in third-country nuclear markets together. I hope my visit marks a watershed moment in our comprehensive strategic energy partnership, which will expand beyond nuclear to include hydrogen, renewables and carbon capture and storage in within the field.”
The UAE and South Korea have had close ties for 40 years. In 2009, the UAE awarded the Korea Electric Power Corporation (KEPCO) the general contract to build the Barakah nuclear power plant, which at the peak of construction was the world’s largest nuclear power project. This relationship formed the basis of the new partnership era in 2016, when ENEC and KEPCO signed a joint venture agreement to support the sustainable operation of the Barakah plant for the next 60 years of operation and beyond. This relationship was further strengthened by elevating the bilateral relationship to the level of a special strategic partnership in 2018, and now the UAE and South Korea have expanded their partnership through a framework to lead the development of clean energy domestically and internationally, bringing economic and environmental benefits through the output of new projects, the use of advanced technologies such as SMR, and clean hydrogen production.
Once fully operational, the Barakah plant will provide sufficient clean and reliable electricity 24 hours a day to power the UAE’s industry and more than half a million homes, and support the UAE’s strategy to become a net exporter of LNG by 2030. As the National Baraka plant looks forward to hosting COP28, preventing millions of tonnes of carbon emissions each year while helping to meet growing energy demand.
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