UAE to host the International Conference on Nuclear Power in 21st Century

 Abu Dhabi : An international conference to be hosted by the UAE next month will be a testimony to the UAE’s reputation for its peaceful nuclear programme, a senior official said here on Monday. 

The UAE will host the International Ministerial Conference on Nuclear Power in 21st Century in Abu Dhabi from October 30 to November 1, said Suhail Mohammad Al Mazroui, Minister of Energy. “The UAE will be the first Arab country to host this conference,” he said at a press conference along with Hamad Al Kaabi, UAE’s Permanent Representative to the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA). 

The Abu Dhabi conference follows the previous ones held in Paris in 2005, Beijing in 2009 and Saint Petersburg in 2013. 

The UAE’s nuclear power project in Barakah in Al Dhafra region will contribute around 25 per cent of the total energy needs by 2021, Al Mazroui said. 
The $20-billion (Dh 73.4 billion) project has already awarded $3 billion (Dh 11 billion) worth contracts to 1400 companies, the minister said. 
The first of the four rectors will be operational in 2018, he said. Each reactor will generate 1400 MW (megawatt) energy with a total capacity of 5,600 MW, he said.