Terrestrial Energy and ENEC sign MoU to collaborate on IMSR plant development and deployment
by CM Staff
ENEC and Terrestrial Energy will collaborate to focus on the potential of IMSR plant for electricity generation and for large-scale industrial heat applications.
OAKVILLE and CHARLOTTE — Terrestrial Energy has signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) with the Emirates Nuclear Energy Corporation (ENEC) at the Net Zero Nuclear Summit, on the sidelines of COP 28. The agreement was signed by His Excellency (H.E.) Mohamed Al Hammadi, Managing Director and Chief Executive Officer of ENEC and Simon Irish, Chief Executive Officer of Terrestrial Energy.
Terrestrial Energy is a technology company and developer of a nuclear plant capable of suppling both high-temperature heat and electricity. The company’s use of its Integral Molten Salt Reactor (IMSR), a Generation IV reactor technology, enables the plant’s dual role capability and transformative commercial potential. It can supply secure, reliable, emissions-free, and low-cost energy (both electricity and heat) to industry across a wide range of industrial processes such as hydrogen, ammonia, aluminum and steel production.
The MoU is part of the recently launched ENEC ADVANCE Program, which will evaluate the latest advancements in nuclear energy technologies to strengthen the UAE’s position as a leading nation in delivering climate action by accelerating the global clean energy transition to Net Zero.
ENEC and Terrestrial Energy will collaborate to focus on the potential of IMSR plant for electricity generation and for large-scale industrial heat applications. These uses include the IMSR plant’s role in decarbonizing energy-intensive and hard-to-abate industrial sectors. The parties will also consider frameworks for development and deployment of the IMSR plant in target industrial applications in the UAE and other markets.
H.E. Mohamed Al Hammadi commented: “We are committed to exploring the latest technologies in advanced reactors as we continue to rapidly decarbonize the power sector through clean electricity from nuclear energy. The development of the Barakah Plant in the UAE has provided a catalyst for exploration of new technologies in the nuclear sector as we innovate to tackle climate change. At COP28, 22 countries have recognized the critical need for more nuclear, advocating for a tripling of global nuclear energy capacity by 2050 to achieve net zero. Through new solutions like Generation IV reactors and Small Modular Reactors, we can get closer to delivering the significant volumes of clean electrons and molecules needed to ensure that we sustainably power our heavy industries whilst preventing millions of tons of carbon emissions. We look forward to close collaboration with Terrestrial Energy as we identify the potential deployment of IMSR technology in the UAE and overseas.”
Simon Irish CEO, Terrestrial Energy said: “The UAE is an energy pioneer and a nuclear energy pioneer. We are pleased to partner with ENEC as the UAE leads the international community at the annual COP conference, and with its Net Zero Nuclear initiative, the first of its kind for a COP event. Our IMSR, a Generation IV reactor technology, has immense potential to support industrial growth and decarbonization. Its unique capabilities are most relevant to the decarbonization of hard-to-abate industrial sectors, essential to meet COP28 goals. Terrestrial Energy’s prioritization of national and international regulatory requirements supports the aims of our MOU as does the IMSR’s use of nuclear fuel at standard enrichment levels, which has long-established international acceptance. We look forward to working with ENEC to accelerate development and deployment of the IMSR plant in target industrial applications and commercial markets.”
As a cornerstone of the global nuclear energy landscape, ENEC’s Barakah Plant distinguishes itself with its four APR-1400 units, positioning it as a gigawatt nuclear energy installation.
In April 2023, the Canadian Nuclear Safety Commission (CNSC), following a systematic and multi-year review against Canadian regulatory requirements, concluded that there were no fundamental barriers to licensing the IMSR plant for commercial use. This was the first regulatory review of a commercial nuclear plant using molten salt reactor technology and the first advanced, high-temperature fission technology to complete a review of this type.
