ENEC to submit construction license applications by 2012 end
CEO of corporation says that license applications will be for units three and four
The Emirates Nuclear Energy Corporation (ENEC) will submit the construction license application for two nuclear power plant units at the Barakah site by the end of 2012, the company CEO said on Wednesday.
Speaking on the sidelines of the World Energy Forum 2012, Mohammed Al Hammadi told Gulf News, a Dubai based newspaper, that the license applications would be for units three and four. He added that ENEC would apply for an operating license for unit one in 2015, with unit two scheduled to see concrete poured in 2013.
The nuclear energy corporation is building four units at the Barakah site, with the first scheduled to be operational by 2017. One additional unit is set to come online every year after that, till 2020.
Al Hammadi said that alternative energy would meet six to seven percent of peak energy demand by 2020.
“The UAE government has determined that nuclear power was the most viable and compelling solution to meet the country’s energy needs to provide base load electricity in a sustainable manner,” he added.
By 2020, it is estimated that the UAE’s energy demand will rise by more than 40,000MW – a yearly growth of nine percent. In comparison, the global electricity demand will grow at the rate of 2.4% per year, putting the UAE’s energy demand growth at three times the global average.
