Labworx

The UAE government is preparing to open up a tender bid process for the construction and commission of its second nuclear power plant. The small country made headlines in 2021 when it became the first Arab state to bring nuclear into its national energy portfolio with the opening of the South Korean-built Barakah station in Abu Dhabi.

Now, the Emirati government is reportedly looking to bring a second plant online in order to double the number of reactors in the country. The bidding process is expected to open in the next few months, with the eventual aim of the new facility reaching full capacity by 2032 so as to help meet the nation’s projected energy needs.

Nuclear pioneers

At COP28 in Dubai last December, the UAE was one of more than 20 countries who pledged to triple global nuclear output across the next three decades. They have already made significant inroads into increasing their own nuclear output with the penning of a cooperation agreement with the USA in 2009 and the construction of the Middle East’s first nuclear power plant in 2021.

Built by a South Korean firm, the Barakah plant has four reactors in total, the last of which is due to begin commercial operations this year. That would bring it fully online and should contribute as much as a quarter of the country’s entire electricity demands. As such, it will go some way towards reducing the country’s dependency on oil as per its environmental goals.

Doubling capacity

Not content to rest on those laurels, however, the UAE government in general and Emirates Nuclear Energy Company (the state-affiliated entity which owns the Barakah plant) in particular have indicated they will look into the possibility of opening a second facility in the very near future.

In January, ENEC said it was “focused on exploring opportunities in the UAE and overseas to maximize the full value of the expertise developed in nuclear mega project program delivery and technology deployment, subject to confirmed demand, and approvals from the relevant UAE authorities.” The tender is expected to be opened to bidders from all nations and awarded to the successful party later this year, so as to expedite the process as much as possible.

Other Gulf activity

Though the UAE can be considered something of a regional trailblazer when it comes to nuclear power, it’s not the only country in the Arab Gulf looking to diversify its energy makeup with the source. Egypt is currently in the process of developing its maiden plant, which is being built by a Russian company.

Meanwhile, Saudi Arabia has nuclear ambitions of its own. The Kingdom wishes to launch a civil nuclear programme, but tensions with the USA are forestalling its plans for the time being. The Saudi government has thus far refused to sign a cooperation agreement with the White House, due to the fact that doing so would preclude it from enriching uranium.

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