His Excellency Dr Thani bin Ahmed Al Zeyoudi, Cabinet Member and UAE Minister of Climate Change and Environment, visited the Barakah Nuclear Energy Plant today, where he witnessed the Emirates Nuclear Energy Corporation 's (ENEC) commitment to sustainability and environmental protection. His Excellency Dr Al Zeyoudi also observed the significant progress being made across all four nuclear energy units being built at the plant in the Al Dhafra region of Abu Dhabi.

His Excellency Dr Thani Al Zeyoudi was welcomed by Eng. Mohamed Al Hammadi, ENEC Chief Executive Officer, Eng. Ahmed Al Rumaithi, ENEC Deputy Chief Executive Officer, and senior management.

His Excellency Dr Al Zeyoudi observed the operation of a range of installations and equipment used at the Barakah site for monitoring air and marine water quality, as well as several programs implemented to ensure the protection of the environment and the efficient use of resources. ENEC also provided an update on the progress made on the four Units of the Barakah Plant, which when fully operational, will provide 5,600 megawatts of clean, efficient and reliable electricity, preventing the release of 21 million tonnes of greenhouse gasses every year, equivalent to removing 3.2 million sedan cars from the roads.

Commenting on the visit, His Excellency Dr Thani bin Ahmed Al Zeyoudi said: "The UAE exerts diligent efforts to achieve sustainability of natural resources and deploy clean energy solutions. Such efforts made the UAE one of the global pioneers in green development."

Dr Al Zeyoudi pointed out that the Barakah Nuclear Energy Plant project, which has an electricity generation capacity of 5,600 MW once fully operational, bolsters the UAE's position as a global hub for clean energy. The project will reflect ENEC's commitment to applying the highest standards of sustainability and environmental protection practice.

"The Barakah Nuclear Energy Plant is progressing steadily and safely , and will contribute to a timely realization of the UAE's voluntary commitments to the Paris Agreement. These commitments are incorporated in the UAE Energy Strategy 2050, which involves bringing the proportion of clean energy in the national energy mix up to 27 per cent by 2021 and 50 per cent by 2050.His Excellency added.

"The UAE Peaceful Nuclear Energy Program has a key role to play in the nation's economic and social growth by delivering clean, efficient and reliable electricity with nearly zero emissions," said Eng. Mohamed Al Hammadi, ENEC CEO.

"The Program is also a main component of the UAE Energy Strategy 2050, which seeks to diversify the UAE's energy mix and reduce the carbon footprint of electricity generation by 70 percent over the next 30 years," added Al Hammadi. 

ENEC has been recognized by the Abu Dhabi Sustainability Group (ADSG) for its commitment and application of the highest standards of sustainability and environmental protection practices at the Sustainable Business Leadership Awards this week. ENEC was awarded the 'Best Sustainability Report' award for the development and publication of the annual ENEC Sustainability Report in 2016. ENEC also recently won the award for 'Best Workplace and HR Practices' at the Gulf Sustainability and Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR) Awards.

Since its inception in 2009, ENEC has focused on the quality and safety-led delivery of the UAE Peaceful Nuclear Energy Program. The overall construction completion of the project is more than 87%. Unit 1 is currently undergoing commissioning and testing, prior to regulatory review and receipt of the Operating License from the Federal Authority for Nuclear Regulation (FANR). Unit 2 is more than 92% complete, Unit 3 is more than 81%, and Unit 4 is more than 66%.

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