United Arab Emirates awards contracts to develop nuclear power

• 11 years ago (2012-09-22)
• David Flin

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The United Arab Emirates has awarded contracts worth $2 billion to provide, convert and enrich uranium. The uranium fuel contracts were signed by the Emirates Nuclear Energy Corporation with six companies: ConverDyn of the USA, Uranium One of Canada, Urenco and Rio Tinto of UK, Tenex of Russia, and Areva of France. Commentators have suggested that this indicates that the UAE plans to spread its supply of nuclear fuel among the world’s main suppliers as a hedge against future geopolitical changes.

UAE launched its nuclear programme in 2009, and plans to build four 1400 MW reactors. The first is scheduled to deliver electricity by 2017, with the other three coming on stream at a rate of one a year until 2020. The reactors will be built along the Barakah region of the Gulf coast about 140 miles from Abu Dhabi.