UAE's Peaceful Nuclear Energy Programme is accelerating clean molecule creation to achieve net zero: ENEC

Following the successful development of the Barakah Nuclear Energy Plant and the continued progress of the UAE Peaceful Nuclear Energy Programme, the Emirates Nuclear Energy Corporation (ENEC), is now utilising its expertise and knowledge to drive the creation of clean molecules to support global decarbonisation. This was a key point delivered during the Atlantic Council Global Nuclear Energy Policy Summit 2023, taking place in New York, USA, this week.

Mohamed Ibrahim Al Hammadi, Managing Director and Chief Executive Officer of ENEC, was featured on a panel session with Sama Leon, Director-General of the World Nuclear Association (WNA) and John Wagner, Laboratory Director at the Idaho National Laboratory (INL), US, moderated by Jennifer Gordon, Director for the Nuclear Energy Policy Initiative at the Atlantic Council.

ENEC is now utilising its experience, skills and clean electricity from Barakah to accelerate the development of clean molecules such as clean hydrogen, heat and steam. These clean molecules will play an important role in preventing carbon emissions and supporting nations to get closer to their net-zero targets.

These new areas of opportunity recognise that there is a global race for the generation of clean electricity and molecules to not only decarbonise heavy industry, but to power the ever-growing demand for the clean energy required to power the data centres on which the world heavily relies for the digital world.

Al Hammadi highlighted that the number of data centres has grown from 800,000 in 2013 to 8 million in 2022, which models suggest will consume 10 percent of global electricity by 2030. These centres, together with the ever-growing increase in artificial intelligence, mean that countries around the world will soon compete for digital customers looking for clean electricity to co-locate data centres.