Emirates Nuclear Energy Corporation (ENEC), the body responsible for developing the United Arab Emirates' nuclear energy sector, has signed three agreements with Chinese nuclear energy organisations as it looks to boost low-carbon nuclear power.
The UAE, which is hosting the COP28 climate summit this year and wants to get 6 per cent of its energy needs from nuclear as part of its 2050 net zero plan, has previously said China would be a key partner in its energy transition plan.
The three Memorandums of Understanding (MoU) cover cooperation in nuclear energy operations, in high temperature gas-cooled reactors, and in nuclear fuel supply and investment, ENEC said on Sunday.
They were signed with China's Nuclear Power Operations Research Institute, the China National Nuclear Corporation Overseas, and the China Nuclear Energy Industry Corporation.
The UAE is already building the Arab world's first multi-unit operating nuclear energy plant, the Barakah plant in Abu Dhabi.
When completed Barakah will have four reactors with 5,600 megawatts (MW) of total capacity - equivalent to around 25 per cent of the UAE's peak demand.
The United Arab Emirates (UAE) nuclear energy plants are deployed and owned by the Emirates Nuclear Energy Corporation, an organisation.
President of the UAE Khalifa Bin Zayed Al Nahyan issued a proclamation establishing ENEC in December 2009 to satisfy the nation's rising demand for electricity while diversifying the country's energy source and enhancing energy security.
In Barakah, in Abu Dhabi's Western Region, the organisation is building the nation's first nuclear energy reactors. By 2020, the location will be home to four APR-1400 nuclear power plants. Depending on regulatory permissions, Unit 1 is expected to start up for business in 2020, followed by one additional reactor coming online annually through 2020.