Second Vice Minister of Trade, Industry and Energy Park Il-jun, left, shakes hands with Mohamed Al Hammadi, managing director and CEO of Emirates Nuclear Energy Corp. (ENEC) at the headquarters of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs in Seoul, Tuesday. Yonhap

By Lee Kyung-min

A delegation from the United Arab Emirates (UAE) will stay in Korea through Friday to accelerate bilateral cooperation in the long-stalled joint nuclear business, the energy ministry said Wednesday.

Underpinning the fruitful outcome of their weeklong stay is a recent rush of shifts in Korea's energy policy under the Yoon Suk-yeol administration, whose policy directives are defined by the full and early scrapping of a nuclear phase-out initiative of the preceding Moon Jae-in administration and fortifying the long-shunned energy source.

The drive is illustrated by the Ministry of Trade, Industry and Energy initiating the process to replace Korea Hydro & Nuclear Power Corp. (KHNP) CEO Chung Jae-hoon, the chief architect and enforcer of the Moon administration's anti-nuclear energy policy, Monday. His three-year term ended last year, but he has since stayed on for one more year.

According to the ministry, Second Vice Minister Park Il-jun met with Mohamed Al Hammadi, managing director and CEO of Emirates Nuclear Energy Corp. (ENEC), a state-run nuclear energy firm of the UAE, at the Ministry of Foreign Affairs in Seoul, Tuesday.

The CEO was accompanied by 11 UAE nuclear energy authorities including officials of ENEC's maintenance subsidiary Nawah Energy Company, and Barakah One Company (BOC), which manages sales of electricity generated at the Barakah Nuclear Energy Plant.

Park exchanged opinions on the urgent need to complete construction of all reactors at the Barakah plant without interruption.

He also congratulated the UAE CEO on the successful commercial operation of Unit 2 of the Barakah Nuclear Energy Plant since March, a notable outcome of the two countries' nuclear energy cooperation to be followed by the Korean government's full support for the construction of the remaining units 3 and 4.

The two reiterated the need to fortify joint cooperation further into the hydrogen energy sector, an expansion of the trust- and success-oriented collaboration of the past few years.

"Korea-UAE cooperation is proof of the Korean government's high-tech nuclear business capabilities, as confirmed by the successful completion of the Barakah plant," Park said. "This will serve as a track record of Korea's competence in expanding overseas partnerships ahead."

The ongoing UAE construction project is Korea's first overseas nuclear project, encompassing the construction of four Korea-made APR1400 nuclear reactors.

The project involves designing, manufacturing, construction, commissioning, operation and maintenance of the plants, overseen by Korea's leading conglomerates' energy and construction affiliates.

Upon completion, the four reactors will meet 25 percent of UAE's power demands, and are expected to contribute greatly to the country's carbon neutrality drive.

Before the UAE delegation leaves on Friday, they will meet with participants of the Barakah project, including Korea Electric Power Corp., KHNP, Doosan Enerbility (formerly Doosan Heavy Industries & Construction) and Samsung Construction & Trading (C&T).