Tackling Climate Change
The world is facing unprecedented environmental challenges: rising temperatures, melting ice caps, and increasingly unpredictable weather patterns. Meanwhile, population growth, urban expansion and technology such as Artificial Intelligence and data centers are driving up electricity demand. Now more than ever, finding sustainable and reliable energy solutions is essential for us to live, grow, and progress without accelerating climate change and causing irreversible damage.
The UAE is a head of the curve in meeting this challenge by pioneering a new era of clean electricity. By investing in both nuclear energy and renewables, our nation is building an energy portfolio that meets the increasing electricity demands while significantly reducing carbon emissions.
A Major Contributor to Clean Electricity
As the largest single source of clean electricity in UAE and the region, the Barakah Nuclear Energy Plant prevents 22.4 million tons of carbon emissions annually, leading the largest decarbonization effort in the UAE and wider region. Indeed, the clean electricity produced by the Barakah Plant is responsible for achieving 24% of the UAE’s 2030 National Determined Contribution (NDCs).
Today, Barakah generates 40 TWh of clean electricity annually—meeting 25% of the UAE’s electricity needs. This is equivalent to powering 80 Burj Khalifa towers, 16 million electric vehicles, or the annual power demand of New Zealand.
Setting the Standard for Nuclear Energy
This clean electricity production is enough to power 574,000 UAE households for an entire year, demonstrating nuclear energy’s crucial role in the clean energy mix. Built to the highest standards of safety and quality, the Barakah Plant exemplifies rigorous project management and operational excellence.
Clean electricity from sources like Barakah provides a sustainable solution to address climate change and energy security challenges. Barakah plays a pivotal role in building a cleaner future by preventing the release of 22.4 million tons of carbon emissions annually. This is equivalent to removing 4.8 million cars from the road or the carbon absorption of 350 million trees over a decade.
Driving Global Decarbonization Efforts
There is currently huge growing demand for clean electricity to power energy intensive sectors like AI and data centers, while decarbonizing hard-to-abate and heavy industries. The production of clean energy electrons and molecules, free from fluctuating supply chains, is now at the forefront of global strategic agendas. Nations that successfully lead in these technologies will undeniably gain a competitive edge in achieving energy security and sustainability.
As a result, in September 2023, the World Nuclear Association (WNA) and ENEC, with the support of the Atoms4NetZero initiative of the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA), launched the ‘Net Zero Nuclear’ initiative, a global call for unprecedented collaboration among governments, industry leaders, and civil society to triple global nuclear capacity and achieve Net Zero by 2050. The initiative aims to fully harness nuclear energy’s potential in decarbonizing global energy systems, promoting its value, and removing barriers to growth.
During COP28, hosted by the UAE in December 2023, 25 countries came together to endorse a tripling of nuclear energy capacity globally by 2050, supported by around 120 companies through a tripling nuclear energy industry pledge. For the first time of COP editions, nuclear energy is now recognized as a clean energy technology for accelerating the path to Net Zero. In September 2024, 14 banks publicly announced their support for those nations looking to triple global nuclear energy capacity, as part of the need to enable nuclear to gain access to the main trillions of dollars that are available for climate and energy transition financing.
A Sustainable Future for the UAE
The UAE envisions a cleaner, brighter, and more sustainable future for its people. With clean and abundant electricity powering our nation today, we support the health and well-being of our communities while protecting our precious and unique ecosystems. Beyond driving the country’s decarbonization efforts, nuclear energy is fueling economic growth, generating jobs, and demonstrating the viability of large-scale nuclear energy projects. With an estimated lifespan of at least 60 years, the Barakah Plant will continue to provide clean electricity, economic benefits and national knowledge and advancement for generations to come.