Net Zero by 2050 without nuclear energy is impossible: Mohamed Al Hammadi

Net Zero by 2050 without nuclear energy is impossible: Mohamed Al Hammadi

ABU DHABI: Mohamed Al Hammadi, Managing Director and Chief Executive Officer of the Emirates Nuclear Energy Corporation (ENEC) joined Dr. Chris Keefer, host of the Decouple podcast, to discuss the UAE’s journey in the nuclear energy sector.

Al Hammadi gave his key learnings on how to deliver a nuclear programme after the UAE became not only the first country to deliver a new nuclear programme in 27 years but delivered the programme on budget and within one of the most efficient timescales in industry history.

He explained how the UAE began studies into the future of the energy sector back in 2006 to identify clean sources that support the nation’s growth and development. The UAE government chose to ‘follow the science’ – investing in both intermittent renewable energy projects and baseload nuclear energy, paving the way for the start of planning for the Barakah Nuclear Energy Plant, the first of its kind in the Arab World.

Al Hammadi analysed why nuclear energy was seen as the right choice for the UAE. “Nuclear has high levels of energy density, it is clean, safe, reliable and produces abundant clean electricity 24/7. This is incredibly important for guaranteeing energy security. When I was young in my