Nuclear Energy Trade Mission Departs for the United Arab Emirates

23.03.11

A 50-member delegation departs this weekend for the United Arab Emirates on a civilian nuclear energy trade mission sponsored and led by the Nuclear Energy Institute (NEI) and the U.S.-U.A.E. Business Council, and certified by the U.S. Department of Commerce’s Foreign Commercial Service.

The group represents 40 US companies that could provide products and services to the U.A.E.’s nuclear program. These companies are involved in manufacturing, services, logistics, engineering, and consulting.

Over the course of three days, they will meet with representatives from the Emirates Nuclear Energy Corporation, the U.A.E.’s Nuclear Energy Program Implementation Organization, as well as officials from the Korea Electric Power Corporation (KEPCO). KEPCO leads the consortium selected to build the U.A.E.’s nuclear energy plants. The consortium includes Pittsburgh-based Westinghouse, a Business Council member.

“The United States and U.A.E. are close allies and strong trading partners. In fact, the U.A.E. buys products and services from every state in the United States and more U.S. products than any other Arab nation. This trade mission seeks to expand our partnership further,” said Danny Sebright, president of the U.S.-U.A.E. Business Council.

“We are delighted to be the first country to lead a trade delegation to the U.A.E. in the civil nuclear energy sector after the selection of the prime contractor. U.S. companies are ideally positioned to compete for this business, which if won means important jobs for our economy at home,” said Sebright.

“N.E.I. has been impressed with how the U.A.E. has constructed its nuclear energy program, particularly its extensive cooperation with the I.A.E.A. and responsible governments, and with the high standards of safety, security and operational transparency being put in place. The development of a strong nuclear energy infrastructure will bring clean, reliable electricity to the U.A.E.’s citizens, and holds the potential to bring thousands of new nuclear energy-related jobs to the U.S. manufacturing and service sector,” added Lisa Steward, N.E.I.’s senior director and assistant corporate secretary.

The U.A.E.'s comprehensive approach to nuclear energy is based on the decision to develop the program with safety and non‐proliferation as its foundation, and to forgo domestic enrichment and reprocessing of nuclear fuel, the two parts of the nuclear fuel cycle that can most readily be used for non‐peaceful purposes. The U.S.-U.A.E. agreement on peaceful civilian nuclear energy cooperation agreement, referred to as a “123 Agreement,” went into force in December 2009.

The Nuclear Energy Institute (NEI) is the policy organization of the nuclear energy and technologies industry and participates in both the national and global policy-making process. The U.S.-U.A.E. Business Council is the premier business advocacy organization committed to advancing the commercial relationship between the two countries. For media inquiry, please contact Danny Sebright at +1-202-203-8645 or Lisa Steward at +1-202-739-8006.