S. Korea eyes more nuclear power plant projects in Abu Dhabi

South Korea, which through a consortium signed a landmark agreement to build four nuclear power plants in the United Arab Emirates, hopes to build four more, the country’s ambassador said.

“We hope to build four more reactors, but so far there is no agreement on this,” Chung Yong-chil, South Korean ambassador to United Arab Emirates,  told reporters on the sidelines of an Abu Dhabi-Korea Investment Conference held in the capital on Monday.

The UAE awarded a contract worth $20 billion, one of the largest-ever energy projects awarded in the Middle East, to a South Korean consortium in December to build and operate four nuclear reactors.

A spokesman for the Emirates Nuclear Energy Corporation, or ENEC, reiterated his corporation’s stated position that the corporation may order more reactors in the future, depending on the strength of power demand.

The ENEC has not given details on how many more nuclear power plants it might need.

“The UAE is open to building more nuclear power plants in the future in order to meet energy challenges. No other details have been finalised. It’s way too early,” an ENEC official told Khaleej Times.

The contract signed with the consortium — led by Korea Electric Power Corp., or KEPCO — is to design, build and help operate four nuclear power plants.

Depending on the increase of the usage of electricity, the UAE might explore the possibility of building additional plants to meet its energy demands.