Announcement ‘aligned with Washington’s plans to quadruple reactor generation’
Emirates Nuclear Energy Company (Enec) and US-based Westinghouse have signed a memorandum of understanding (MoU) to explore collaboration opportunities for the deployment of nuclear power plants in the US.
Under the MoU, the companies will explore ways to accelerate the deployment of Westinghouse’s AP1000 nuclear power plant.
They will also look at ways to collaborate on new build and restart projects, the development of commercial and operational deployment models for AP1000 reactors, and fuel supply chains, operations and maintenance services.
Enec said the agreement is aligned with Washington’s priorities to quadruple the nation’s nuclear generation by 2050 to meet rising power demand, including from the expansion of AI and the technology sector.
Westinghouse interim chief executive officer Dan Sumner told president Donald Trump recently that the company plans to build 10 large-scale nuclear power reactors in the US with construction to begin by 2030.
Trump issued four executive orders in May that aim to quadruple nuclear power in the US by 2050.
The US has built only two new nuclear reactors over the past 30 years, both of which were Westinghouse AP1000s at Vogtle in Waynesboro, Georgia. The project came in $18bn (€15bn) over budget and seven years behind schedule, contributing to the bankruptcy of Westinghouse. The second of the two units at Vogtle began commercial operation in April 2024.
The company emerged from bankruptcy in 2018 and is now owned by Canadian uranium miner Cameco and Brookfield Asset Management.
Enec said it has a broad strategy of pursuing opportunities for investment, collaboration and deployment of nuclear technologies internationally.
Enec was established in 2009 to oversee all aspects of the United Arab Emirates’ civil nuclear energy programme.
It oversaw construction and deployment of four South Korea-supplied APR1400 units at the Barakah nuclear power station, the first commercial nuclear plants in the Arab world. The fourth unit at Barakah began commercial operation in September 2024.
