Emsteel Group, one of the largest listed producers of steel and building materials in the region, is collaborating with the Emirates Nuclear Energy Corporation (ENEC) to reduce carbon emissions in steel production by using electricity generated from nuclear energy. This electricity is certified under Abu Dhabi’s Clean Energy Certificates Program (I-REC standard), which is supervised by the Emirates Water and Electricity Company.
This cooperation builds on a long-standing partnership of more than ten years between Emsteel and ENEC. During the construction phase of the Barakah Nuclear Energy Plant—the first multi-unit peaceful nuclear energy project in operation in the Middle East and North Africa—Emsteel supplied 160,000 tons of certified reinforcing steel for use in the Barakah facilities, meeting 60% of the plants’ total rebar requirements, according to the Emirates News Agency (WAM).
Reducing the Carbon Footprint of Steel Production in the UAE
By adopting clean energy certificates generated from nuclear power, Emsteel is able to source clean electricity, which directly reduces carbon emissions in the second stage of production and lowers the overall carbon footprint of steel manufacturing in the United Arab Emirates.
Clean Energy Certificates
This step makes Emsteel the first steel producer in the region to use clean energy certificates certified from nuclear sources, reflecting the company’s commitment to innovation and responsibility in one of the most challenging sectors for emissions reduction.
Emsteel currently uses 86% clean electricity in its steel production operations and 14% in cement production. These figures include 1.5 million megawatt-hours of nuclear energy and 652,000 megawatt-hours of solar energy used across both steel and cement operations.
Emsteel aims to achieve 100% clean electricity by 2030, in line with its long-term roadmap to reduce its carbon footprint.
The Barakah Nuclear Energy Plant, developed and owned by ENEC, produces around 40 terawatt-hours of electricity annually, meeting up to 25% of the UAE’s total electricity demand and contributing to the avoidance of 22.4 million tons of carbon emissions each year.
