India and UAE Sign Landmark Nuclear Pact: NPCIL to Operate Arab World’s First Commercial Nuclear Plant

In a historic first, India and the United Arab Emirates (UAE) signed a landmark agreement on civil nuclear cooperation on Monday (September 9). The agreement was sealed when Sheikh Khalid bin Mohammed bin Zayed Al Nahyan, Crown Prince of Abu Dhabi, arrived in India.

At the heart of the deal is a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) between the Nuclear Corporation of India (NPCIL) and the Emirates Nuclear Corporation (ENEC) to cooperate in the “operations and maintenance” of the Barakah nuclear power plant. .

Located in Al Dhafra in the Arabian Gulf, the Barakah Nuclear Power Plant is the first commercial nuclear power plant in the Arab world.

With four Advanced Power Reactor (APR)-1400 pressurized water reactors, each capable of generating up to 1,400 MW of clean electricity, the plant is expected to provide 25 percent of the UAE’s electricity for the next six decades.

Built by Korea Electric Power Corporation at a cost of $20 billion, Barakah has reached full fleet operations with its fourth reactor entering commercial service on September 5.

The deal that India’s NPCIL and ENEC just reached is promising, according to diplomatic insiders. The reason for this is because Prime Minister Narendra Modi made a commitment to work with the United Arab Emirates on the “peaceful use of nuclear energy,” which includes “defense, health, agriculture, and science and technology.” This was made during his visit to the UAE in 2015.

As part of its strategy to increase investments in the nuclear energy industry, the UAE signed the NPCIL-ENEC agreement. While ENEC is fully owned by Abu Dhabi Development Holding Company PJSC, which is fully controlled by the UAE government, NPCIL functions as a PSU under the Department of Nuclear Energy in India.

The NPCIL-ENEC MoU on Nuclear Energy Cooperation is expected to enhance cooperation in operations and maintenance of nuclear power plants, procurement of nuclear products and services from India, mutual investment opportunities and capacity building, the Ministry of External Affairs said.

Civil nuclear cooperation between India and UAE facilitates peaceful nuclear technology sharing. This includes ensuring energy production, regulatory and safety protocols, nuclear fuel supply and global proliferation.

India’s civil nuclear program, focused on generating electricity and other peaceful applications, has seen similar partnerships with major powers such as the US, France, Japan and Russia, showing the country’s growing leadership in the global nuclear sector.