His Excellency Suhail Mohamed Faris Al Mazrouei, Minister of Energy and Infrastructure, led the UAE delegation at the ministerial conference “Roadmap to New Nuclear Energy 2025,” taking place at the OECD headquarters in Paris on September 18 and 19.
This conference, organized by the Government of South Korea and the OECD Nuclear Energy Agency, gathers energy ministers from over 30 countries, alongside government representatives and CEOs from 50 companies. The agenda includes discussions on expertise, strategies, and maximizing resources to bolster supply chains, workforce development, and financial resources.
The “Roadmap to New Nuclear Energy” conference serves as an exclusive platform for open dialogue between key decision-makers in the public and private sectors, focusing on essential actions needed to revitalize leadership dynamics within OECD countries regarding nuclear energy.
This year’s iteration marks a significant milestone in the progress of constructing new nuclear plants, reflecting the growing momentum in this sector.
The summit highlighted the vital role of nuclear energy in addressing global energy security challenges and fostering economic growth. This emphasis aligns with the historic recommendations from the “COP28” conference hosted by the UAE, which stressed the importance of expanding clean energy projects, including nuclear energy, to achieve climate goals. Approximately 31 nations supported the call to triple the world’s nuclear power capacity by 2050.
During the ministerial session, the UAE Minister of Energy and Infrastructure delivered a statement, underscoring the country’s commitment to international efforts aimed at advancing clean energy. He praised the role of the Nuclear Energy Agency and the Government of South Korea for organizing this significant event.
The Minister noted that the international agreement reached during the “COP28” conference in Dubai to triple nuclear power by 2050 represents a historic step that requires transforming political commitments into actionable projects, sustainable financing, and robust international partnerships.
He highlighted the Barakah Nuclear Power Plants as a pioneering and inspiring example globally, producing 40 terawatt-hours of electricity annually, which meets about a quarter of the nation’s clean and reliable electricity needs around the clock. This initiative significantly reduces carbon emissions by millions of tons each year, being the first peaceful nuclear program in the Arab world to achieve full operational status according to the highest international standards. Furthermore, he pointed out the UAE’s forward-looking approach, which includes exploring advanced nuclear technologies such as small modular reactors and new designs to expand the applications of nuclear energy in hydrogen production and powering vital industries and data centers, thereby enhancing the country’s journey toward climate neutrality.
In conclusion, he emphasized that the largest challenge facing the expansion of nuclear energy lies in financing, calling for its inclusion in sustainable financing classifications and support from international financial institutions. He reaffirmed the UAE’s commitment to the highest standards of safety, security, and non-proliferation while expressing readiness to share expertise with other countries to strengthen nuclear energy’s role in addressing climate challenges, ensuring energy security, and supporting sustainable economic development.
Alongside the summit, His Excellency Suhail Al Mazrouei, accompanied by H.E. Hamad Ali Al Kaabi, the UAE permanent representative to the International Atomic Energy Agency, and H.E. Mohamed Al Hammadi, CEO of the Emirates Nuclear Energy Corporation, met with Dr. Rafael Grossi, Director General of the International Atomic Energy Agency.
The UAE delegation included H.E. Hamad Ali Al Kaabi, as well as several senior officials from the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, the Ministry of Energy and Infrastructure, and the Emirates Nuclear Energy Corporation.