UAE and Korea to Explore Nuclear Power Projects Abroad

South Korea and the UAE have agreed to pursue joint nuclear power projects abroad as part of broader bilateral cooperation on nuclear energy, Seoul’s foreign affairs ministry said on Wednesday.

The agreement was reached during a high-level consultation on nuclear cooperation between the two countries, held a day before in Abu Dhabi and led by South Korea’s Second Vice Foreign Minister Kang In-sun and the UAE Energy Minister Suhail Mohamed Al Mazrouei. The consultation was launched in 2018 to discuss bilateral cooperation on nuclear energy.

During the latest meeting, the two sides agreed to make a joint entry into overseas nuclear reactor markets and further expand bilateral cooperation on nuclear energy, including joint scientific research.

They also agreed to expand their nuclear energy cooperation, currently centred on reactor construction and operation, to include nuclear fuel supply chains and reactor maintenance, according to the ministry.

In her opening remarks, Kang In-sun said that the two countries achieved significant results in nuclear cooperation last year with the start of commercial operation of the fourth unit of the South Korea-built Barakah nuclear power plant, which is South Korea’s first overseas nuclear power plant.

It may be recalled that under a $20 billion deal announced in December 2009, four Korean-designed APR1400 reactors have been built at the Barakah site in the UAE by a consortium led by KEPCO.

First concrete for Barakah 1 was poured in July 2012, while that for units 2, 3 and 4 was poured in April 2013, September 2014 and July 2015, respectively. While Unit 1 began commercial operation in April 2021, the second unit started production in March 2022 and the third one in February 2023. The fourth unit was connected to the grid in March this year and is scheduled to enter commercial operation later this year.

Expanding Cooperation Stressed

In his remarks, the UAE minister called for broadening the scope of bilateral nuclear energy cooperation to jointly address rising demand for clean energy.

Al Mazrouei proposed that the two nations expand cooperation to address future demand for clean energy by seeking joint opportunities in other countries and by collaborating on research and development for next-generation reactor technologies. The next session of the consultation will take place in South Korea next year.

In a separate one-on-one meeting, the two officials also agreed to expand bilateral cooperation on the joint development of crude oil stockpiles and future energy sources, such as hydrogen and solar energy.