French utility EDF has signed a ten-year agreement to support Nawah Energy in operation and maintenance of the Barakah nuclear plant in the United Arab Emirate.
Under the agreement, signed 21 November, EDF will provide Nawah with services in operational safety, radiation protection, fuel-cycle management and environmental monitoring. The wider EDF Group, including Framatome and EDF’s other ‘legacy’ partners, will also offer expertise in the form of engineering studies, onsite support, training and benchmarking sessions.
Nawah Energy Company, a subsidiary of the Emirates Nuclear Energy Corporation (ENEC), is tasked with operating and maintaining the four-unit Barakah plant, which will be the first in the Arab world.
EDF said it would “Share the benefits of its continuous improvement programme, the foundation stone of its safety culture, while supporting Nawah to achieve even higher levels of performance.”
The agreement also highlights the strengthening of the Franco-Emirati partnership within the energy sector.
"We are proud that Nawah has recognised EDF Group’s expertise, the world’s leading nuclear operator, by choosing us to provide it with services for the Barakah Nuclear Energy Plant,” said Dominique Minière, EDF’s senior executive vice president in charge of the nuclear and thermal fleet.
"With this agreement, EDF will be strengthening its position in the UAE’s low-carbon energy sector, thereby reasserting the goal of its CAP 2030 strategy which is to triple its business volumes outside of Europe by 2030,” he added.
Once fully operating the Barakah plant is expected to supply up to 25% of the UAE’s electricity, saving some 12 million tonnes of carbon emissions a year.
