The Emirates Nuclear Energy Corporation (Enec) has celebrated the graduation of the country’s first fully qualified nuclear energy maintenance engineers - a group 40 of talented UAE nationals.

They will be responsible for ensuring the country’s first nuclear energy plant is operated and maintained to the highest standards of safety when it begins operations in 2017.

The 40 Emirati students graduated as part of Enec’s human capital development programme, Energy Pioneers, following the completion of an 18-month specialised training programme. Ten months training was delivered by Enec at facilities rented from the Institute of Applied Technology (IAT) in Abu Dhabi and the other eight months was in South Korea where Enec’s prime contractor, the Korea Electric Power Corporation (Kepco), is based.

The graduates now join Enec as part of the team who will manage operational safety across Enec’s mechanical, electrical, instrumental and control divisions, and oversee the day-to-day maintenance for the organisation’s first nuclear energy plant, which is more than 59 per cent complete and on-track to connect to the grid in 2017.

Mohamed Al Hammadi, chief executive officer, Enec, said: “Maintenance engineers play an instrumental role in ensuring that all aspects of plant operations are conducted according to the highest standards of safety and security, and we are very proud to welcome these talented young men and women into the Enec team following their extensive training.”

Al Hammadi added: “Developing the nation’s brightest minds to become the future leaders of the UAE’s emerging nuclear energy industry is one of Enec’s most important priorities, and these graduates join a select group of talented professionals who are already leading the way and advancing the country’s peaceful nuclear energy programme.”

Enec’s latest graduates are one of four groups of maintenance engineers currently at various stages of training as part of the Energy Pioneers programme. From the first group of graduates, the majority will join Enec’s maintenance team where they will be responsible for ensuring all plant equipment is operating to the robust safety standards set by Enec. Six of the recent graduates will also become part of the organisation’s planning and scheduling division, who oversee maintenance including future scheduled shutdowns at the plant.

Enec is committed to developing local talent in the science, engineering and nuclear technology fields, in order to ensure that Emiratis play a critical role in the UAE’s nuclear energy sector. To achieve this goal, Enec offers a range of scholarships and career opportunities to the most promising young Emirati students through its Energy Pioneers programme.

Enec recently announced that the organisation has grown to more than 1,200 employees, with Emirati nationals making up 62.5 per cent of its workforce in line with the company’s Emiratisation target of 60 per cent. By 2020, Enec will require approximately 2,500 employees to power the UAE’s peaceful nuclear energy programme, and ensure the safe and efficient operation of its four nuclear energy plants. – TradeArabia News Service