Showcasing its commitment to sustainability, the Emirates Nuclear Energy Corporation (ENEC) is an exhibitor and Platinum Sponsor of the 10th edition of the World Future Energy Summit (WFES). A part of the prominent Abu Dhabi Sustainability Week 2017, the summit is taking place at the Abu Dhabi National Exhibition Centre (ADNEC) between January 16th and 19th.
A delegation from ENEC, including Mohamed Al Hammadi, Chief Executive Officer of ENEC, attended the opening of the summit, and showed distinguished guests around ENEC’s exhibition booth where they learnt about the latest project developments and sustainability initiatives at ENEC’s Barakah Nuclear Energy Plant, currently under development in the Western Region of Abu Dhabi.
ENEC demonstrated to participants that nuclear energy is one of the safest and cleanest ways to produce abundant, continuous and reliable electricity. In the UAE, nuclear energy will help meet the nation’s sustainability commitments under the Paris Climate Change Agreement, signed in 2015 and ratified in 2016, by reducing the carbon dioxide emissions generated by the electricity sector.
Furthermore, as part of the UAE Energy Plan 2050, electricity generated from nuclear energy continues to play an important role in the energy mix, demonstrating the Government’s commitment to this nearly zero-carbon energy source. The four reactors currently under construction at the Barakah site will be fully operational by 2020, forming an integral part of the Government’s plan to cut the carbon footprint of electricity generation by 70 percent over the next 30 years.
Mohamed Al Hammadi commented on ENEC’s commitment to sustainability saying: “It is of paramount importance to all of us at ENEC that we operate safely and in an environmentally conscious manner. Nuclear energy is a much cleaner way to generate electricity than other traditional forms such as oil and coal, which emit large amounts of carbon dioxide, supporting the nation’s efforts to preserve and protect the UAE’s environment and natural historical sites.”
“We operate under the regulations of the Environment Agency – Abu Dhabi and the Abu Dhabi Tourism and Culture Authority, who have helped us develop a number of programs that support the local environment, both marine and land, around our construction site at Barakah,” added Al Hammadi.
ENEC has outlined its commitment to operating in an environmentally conscious manner in its Barakah Environment and Sustainability Charter, an agreement co-signed by ENEC and its prime contractor and Joint Venture partner, Korea Electric Power Corporation (KEPCO). The charter sets out a series of obligations for both parties to ensure that environmental protection, habitat preservation, water and energy conservation, and sustainable waste management best practices are consistently applied.
Since 2013, ENEC has also published an Annual Sustainability Report in line with the criteria and expectations of the Abu Dhabi Sustainability Group and international best-practices.