Cranberry Township, Pa.-based Westinghouse said it has signed a Memorandum of Understanding to accelerate the deployment of its AP1000 reactors.
The agreement with the Emirates Nuclear Energy Company (ENEC) would allow the companies to explore collaboration opportunities for the deployment of advanced nuclear energy solutions in the United States, as well as the expansion of Westinghouse’s support of operations and maintenance at the Barakah Nuclear Energy Plant in Abu Dhabi.
“The U.S. has a bold vision to have 10 large-scale nuclear reactors under construction by 2030, and Westinghouse is working closely with industry partners to make this a reality,” Dan Sumner, Interim CEO of Westinghouse, said. “Our AP1000 technology is the only fully licensed, construction-ready large modular reactor available today to deliver this goal. In addition to driving billions of dollars of direct economic impact for the nation, an AP1000 fleet deployment will create tens of thousands of good paying manufacturing, engineering, and construction jobs. We believe that ENEC’s expertise in large-scale nuclear deployment will help us achieve this objective.”
The agreement was signed in Washington, D.C. and reflects U.S. priorities to quadruple the country’s nuclear generation by 2050 to meet rising power demand. The collaboration will leverage ENEC’s expertise in large-scale nuclear development and operations and Westinghouse’s nuclear technologies.
Under the agreements, the companies will look into ways to speed up the deployment of AP1000 reactors tin the U.S., and the companies will look at ways to collaborate on a variety of opportunities including new build and restart projects in the U.S. and development of commercial and operational deployment models for AP1000 reactors.
“The world is turning to nuclear energy as a necessity for delivering clean and reliable baseload electricity to meet power demand in parallel with protecting the grid,” His Excellency Mohamed Al Hammadi, Managing Director and CEO of ENEC said. “With ENEC’s proven track record in developing one of the world’s most advanced nuclear energy programs, our collaboration with Westinghouse brings together two leaders in our fields. This marks a significant step in supporting the United States’ bold ambitions to rapidly expand its nuclear fleet, reinforcing the deep and long-standing energy partnership between the UAE and the United States.”