Korea, UAE discuss cooperation on nuclear power, new energy resources

The first reactor of the Barakah nuclear power plant in the United Arab Emirates is seen in this undated file photo released by Korea Electric Power. Yonhap

Korea and the United Arab Emirates (UAE) discussed ways of expanding bilateral cooperation on nuclear power generation, hydrogen and other energy fields, Seoul's industry ministry said Tuesday.

Second Vice Industry Minister Park Il-jun and Mohamed Al Hammadi, chief of the Emirates Nuclear Energy (ENEC), held talks on deepening energy ties with Seoul's new government following the UAE official's arrival here with an 11-member delegation.

During the meeting, Park congratulated the Middle Eastern country on its recent powering up of the second reactor at the Korean-built Barakah nuclear power plant and vowed active support for the ongoing project to build two additional reactors.

In March, the No. 2 Barakah reactor in Barakah, 270 kilometers west of Abu Dhabi, began commercial operations about a year after the operation of the first reactor.

They are part of four nuclear reactors built in Barakah under a $20 billion contract won by a consortium led by Korea's state-run utility firm Korea Electric Power in 2009. The project marked Korea's first export of a domestically developed commercial nuclear power plant.

Reactors three and four are in the final stages of commissioning, with the construction of number three completed last year and the fourth in its final stages.

When the four reactors are in commercial operation, the Barakah plant will produce up to 25 percent of the UAE's electricity needs, and cut its carbon emissions by about 22.4 million tons annually, according to the ENEC.

"The two sides also exchanged opinions on how to work more closely in various other energy sectors, such as hydrogen, based on their achievements through the Barakah project," the ministry said in a release. (Yonhap)