Power Plants

When it comes to electricity in Abu Dhabi, the diversification of fuel sources is an integral part of the strategy to power the anticipated growth in the Emirate over the next decade and beyond. Demand for electricity in the UAE is estimated to be one of the highest growing in the region, increasing by roughly 9% per year—three times the global average—due to a rapidly expanding domestic industry and a growing population, which is estimated to hit 3 million by 2030. Currently, according to the Abu Dhabi Water and Electricity Authority (ADWEA), close to 100% of electricity in Abu Dhabi is generated by gas-fired plants. By the same logic that drives the Emirate’s push to diversify its economy away from oil-dependency, Abu Dhabi is seeking to diversify away from gas-dependency by integrating cleaner and renewable sources into the mix. Facilitating investment in alternative energy resources is, thus, a major focus on the Abu Dhabi government’s policy agenda. The Emirate is planning for wind, solar, and hydrogen power plants to account for 7% of electricity requirements by 2030, while the UAE’s peaceful civil nuclear program will contribute 25% of electricity generation come 2020.

The idea of including nuclear in Abu Dhabi’s fuel mix became a likely option when the UAE’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs published its first official “Policy of the UAE on the Evaluation and Potential Development of Peaceful Nuclear Energy” in 2008. The conclusion was that nuclear was indeed feasible and Abu Dhabi has since taken on the task of building a nuclear industry from the ground up in the Western Region, 300km outside the city. The UAE’s four nuclear plants are being built there, each with a capacity of 1,500MW, and a high-tech nuclear industry is taking shape with the support of several key stakeholders in Abu Dhabi.

Under the watchful eye of the Federal Authority for Nuclear Regulation (FANR), the Emirates Nuclear Energy Corporation (ENEC) is the local operator charging the UAE’s nuclear initiatives forward. As per a multi-billion dollar contract with Korea’s state nuclear energy company, Korea Electric Power Corporation (KEPCO), the first unit of the four plants is more than 60% complete and will open in 2017, followed by unit 2 in 2018, unit 3 in 2019, and unit 4 in 2020, if everything goes to plan. Ensuring the nuclear plants are developing in line with environmental standards, the Environment Agency Abu Dhabi provides ENEC with guidelines to ensure the surrounding natural environment near the Barakah plants are protected. ENEC has already implemented water conservation initiatives and built an artificial reef in the waters near the plant to nurture local biodiversity. Once the plants are fully completed, the challenges ahead will involve continuing to monitor and ensure high levels of safety, efficient operation, emergency preparedness, and proper disposal of radioactive waste—challenges Abu Dhabi is already preparing for through proactive and cooperative engagement with these key stakeholders at the forefront of the sector.

From the initial project plans in 2008 to today, the UAE is now not only the first country in the Middle East to be developing a civil nuclear energy program; but it is the first country in the world to do so in nearly 30 years following the former Soviet Union’s Chernobyl meltdown of 1986. According to estimates by the IAEA, there will be a continued expansion and steady increase in adoption of nuclear power around the world in the coming years, and the UAE’s nuclear program could be a model for others to emulate. Certainly for the UAE, with growing demand for electricity, the long-term supply plans are being built on pillars of diversification, efficiency, sustainability, and a reduced carbon footprint. Nuclear energy is set to play an increasingly valuable role in Abu Dhabi’s diversified energy mix, marking a major shift in the Emirates domestic energy landscape that will power its future for years to come.