Nawah Energy Company (part the Emirates Nuclear Energy Corporation - ENEC) has signed an agreement with France’s CERAP SA to provide technical services to support refuelling outages and online operations at the Barakah nuclear plant in the UAE.  

Enec and French Nuclear Industry Group GIFEN co-hosted the 4th edition of E-FUSION (Emirati-French Industrial Supply Chain Initiative for Nuclear), held as part of the French Nuclear Energy Day at the French Pavilion during Expo 2020 Dubai. The agreement was signed on the sidelines of the event.

CERAP Prevention, a subsidiary of the ENGIE group, is one of the European leaders in the nuclear safety and radiation protection field with over 30 years of experience, operating in more than eight countries. CERAP is partnering with its shareholder ENDEL, French leader in industrial maintenance and energy services, to offer a comprehensive range of specialised services to Nawah. CERAP and ENDEL are committed to localisation with the Abu Dhabi subsidiary NUSAM Limited created in 2021, and say they are determined to share their expertise and support the development of the UAE’s nuclear supply chain.

Participants in the event learned about the latest progress at the Barakah site in the Al Dhafra region of Abu Dhabi. The plant is now more than 96% complete and is generating electricity around the clock. Barakah 1 became commercially operational in April 2021, and unit 2, which was connected to the UAE grid in August 2021 recently achieved 100% as part of the power ascension testing. Units 3 and 4 are in final stages of commissioning. All four units are APR1400 reactors.

The dedicated E-FUSION workshop highlighted the latest advancements in the nuclear energy sector within France and the UAE and demonstrated the close ties and benefits of Franco-Emirati commercial relations in the nuclear sector. The attendees discussed the latest updates within the sector, as well as the future of innovation that supports efforts to tackle climate change and increase sustainability.

Launched by ENEC, EDF and GIFEN (the French Nuclear Industry Cluster) in 2019, E-FUSION is a partnership between ENEC and industrial partners, aiming at supporting an Emirati-French initiative to create a local supply chain for the nuclear sector. Business France is actively supporting this initiative.

Four units at UAE's Barakah nuclear plant (Credit: ENEC)