The UAE continues to establish a local nuclear supply chain serving as a regional hub with the awarding of a contract to Altrad to provide services related to refueling outages at the Barakah Nuclear Energy Plant. Altrad, an established French company, has set up local offices in the UAE to support the localization of the UAE’s nuclear supply chain. The contract comes in line with the strategy of Nawah Energy Company, the Joint Venture nuclear operations and maintenance subsidiary of the Emirates Nuclear Energy Corporation (ENEC), to encourage global expertise to establish UAE operations as part of the growing local nuclear supply chain.
The contract was signed by Ali Al Hammadi, Chief Executive Officer of Nawah and Madany Lias, CEO of Altrad Endel, and Samir Chopra, CEO of Altrad Middle East.
Through the agreement, Altrad will deliver a wide range of safety services including mechanical, electrical control and instrumentation, which will be delivered by one integrated, project management team, under the management of the expert teams of Nawah.
The contract highlights the ongoing efforts to support the development and growth of the supply chain in the UAE that can meet operational service, spare part and consumable requirements for the safe, secure and efficient operation and maintenance of the Barakah Plant for the next 60 years or more, as well as growing the strategic value of the UAE supply chain in supporting other nations in the region looking to develop their own civil nuclear programs.
“Signing this contract with Altrad supports our goal of maintaining safe, sustainable and reliable operations across all aspects at the Barakah Plant, including refueling outages,” said Eng. Ali Al Hammadi, Chief Executive Officer of Nawah. “Scheduled outages are an essential component of our plant maintenance activities, and we strive to deliver these in a safety-led, quality-led and efficient manner. We do this through working with expert companies from countries with well-established civilian nuclear energy programs to ensure we benefit from their institutional knowledge and expertise”.
Altrad is a French owned company, with a wide range of experience in the nuclear sector. With a local office in Abu Dhabi, Altrad have committed to the UAE Government’s In-Country Value program to boost economic performance and support the localization of products and services nationally, aligning with the goals of the UAE Peaceful Nuclear Energy Program to develop a sustainable local supply chain. Through partnerships and agreements with well-known international companies, The UAE Peaceful Nuclear Energy Program is supporting the UAE’s ‘Make it in the Emirates’ program, boosting the nation’s ability to locally produce goods and offer services for the UAE’s growing domestic sectors, creating value for the local economy.
Madany Lias, CEO of Altrad ENDEL said, “We are delighted to have secured this prestigious contract from Nawah Energy Company, wherein we will use our ingenuity, and the broader portfolio of services of the Altrad Group, to add value to the refueling outages at Barakah Nuclear Energy Plant.”
The agreement is the result of cooperation with CSFN (French Nuclear Cluster) and Business France (the national agency supporting the international development of the French economy) known as E-Fusion, which focuses on enhancing the local supply chain for the UAE Peaceful Nuclear Energy Program and the Barakah Nuclear Energy Plant, increasing local manufacturing and supply of components and equipment and enabling greater sharing of knowledge, skills and expertise.
Comprised of four APR1400 reactors, each with a 1,400 megawatts of zero-carbon emission electricity capacity, the three Units of the Barakah Plant are operating commercially. When fully operational, the four units of the plant will produce 5.6 gigawatts of clean electricity while preventing the release of more than 22.4 million tons of carbon emissions every year.