United Arab Emirates: AREVA wins a major contract to supply enriched uranium

On August 15, 2012, Emirates Nuclear Energy Corporation (ENEC) and AREVA signed an integrated enriched uranium supply contract, worth more than 400 million euros.

This contract stipulates that AREVA will supply the future nuclear plants at Barakah, which is under construction in the United Arab Emirates, with enriched uranium over an eight-year period. The UAE’s nuclear program plans for the commissioning of the first two of four reactors in 2017 and 2018, pending regulatory approval.

Luc Oursel declared that: “AREVA is delighted that ENEC has entrusted us with this key part of the commissioning of its first nuclear power plants. The deliveries of advanced-stage uranium will contribute to ensuring the long-term supply of fuel to the United Arab Emirates. This new success is further proof that the Group's integrated offer for the front end of the nuclear cycle is of interest to electricity generation companies.”

By 2020 with four plants online, nuclear energy should meet up to 25% of the UAE’s electricity needs, which are forecast to reach 40 GWe in 2020, compared with 15.5 GWe at present.