ENEC MD & CEO appointed Chair Elect of World Nuclear Association Board of Directors
The WNA’s members are responsible for 70% of the world’s nuclear energy generation
Emirates Nuclear Energy Corporation’s (ENEC) Managing Director and Chief Executive Officer, His Excellency Mohamed Ibrahim Al Hammadi, has been selected as the new Chair Elect of the World Nuclear Association (WNA) Board of Directors.
The role will see Al Hammadi become Chairman of the WNA in 2024.
“Receipt of the role of chair elect for such an important organisation as the WNA has been made possible because of the UAE’s visionary leadership to transform its energy sector. Through their ongoing support in developing the UAE Peaceful Nuclear Energy Program, the UAE model for nuclear energy has been hailed a global success story. It offers a new blueprint for other nations that choose to pursue this vital source of clean electricity to decarbonize their energy portfolios, as nations around the world work to drive energy security and energy sustainability in parallel, in pursuit of Net Zero 2050”, explained Al Hammadi.
According to a statement from ENC, the WNA is headquartered in London and supports the development of nuclear energy programs worldwide. It also noted that its members are responsible for 70% of the world’s nuclear energy generation.
In early October 2022, Unit 3 of the Barakah Nuclear Plant was successfully connected to the UAE power grid and, later in the month, Inspire marked five million man-hours with zero LTI at the Barakah Nuclear Plant.
The members appoint a General Manager and elect a Board of Directors of 20 members, where the board performs its duties related to managing the Association and setting its policies and strategic objectives. Al Hammadi was elected as a member of the Board of Directors of WNA in April 2022, the statement added.
His appointment highlights the UAE’s continued commitment to collaboration with the international nuclear energy community, by sharing best practices, knowledge and lessons learnt. The UAE has become a global benchmark for new nuclear energy projects, with the Barakah Nuclear Energy Plant widely recognised as one of the most advanced, nuclear plants in the world, delivered to the highest standards of safety, quality and transparency.
Barakah is a successful case study for other nations looking to diversify their energy portfolio during a time of international energy crises. With three units now operating commercially, Barakah is delivering energy security, powering sustainable economic growth, driving innovation and contributing to achieving the UAE’s Net Zero strategy by 2050, ENC noted in its statement.
Al Hammadi is also President of the World Association of Nuclear Operators (WANO) after being voted in by members in October 2022, during the WANO Biennial General Meeting (BGM) in Prague, Czech Republic.
In late March 2023, ENEC signed a MoU with a Romanian nuclear group to collaborate on the development and expansion of the nuclear energy programmes in the UAE and Romania.
