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EAD, ENEC Join Hands to Cultivate 500,000 Coral Reefs Around Barakah Nuclear Energy Plant

Prime Highlight:

  1. Abu Dhabi’s Environment Agency (EAD) and ENEC signed an agreement to cultivate 500,000 coral reefs near the Barakah Nuclear Energy Plant to boost marine biodiversity.
  2. The initiative supports Sheikh Hamdan bin Zayed Al Nahyan’s plan to grow four million coral colonies across the UAE by 2030.

Key Facts:

  1. EAD will oversee project implementation and scientific reporting, while ENEC will fund and support the coral restoration initiative.
  2. EAD’s previous coral restoration program has already cultured 1.45 million colonies, achieving a 95% survival rate and a 50% increase in fish biomass since 2021.

Background

Abu Dhabi’s Environment Agency (EAD) and the Emirates Nuclear Energy Company (ENEC) signed an agreement to grow 500,000 coral reefs near the Barakah Nuclear Energy Plant in the Al Dhafra Region. They announced the partnership at the 2025 IUCN World Conservation Congress in Abu Dhabi. The project supports Sheikh Hamdan bin Zayed Al Nahyan’s plan to grow four million coral colonies by 2030.

The project aims to set up coral nurseries, cultivate heat-resistant coral species, and introduce integrated environmental monitoring programmes. The goal is to boost marine biodiversity and protect Abu Dhabi’s coastal ecosystems over the next three years.

Under the agreement, EAD will manage the project’s implementation and prepare scientific progress reports, while ENEC will fund and support the initiative.

Dr. Shaikha Salem Al Dhaheri, Secretary-General of EAD, said the project marks an important step in conserving marine ecosystems and showcases Abu Dhabi’s commitment to sustainability and innovation. She added that the collaboration reflects a model for public-private cooperation in protecting natural resources for future generations.

Mohamed Al Hammadi, Managing Director and CEO of ENEC, said the company is committed to integrating sustainability into its operations and protecting the marine environment around the Barakah plant.

EAD has already cultured 1.45 million coral colonies under the Gulf’s largest reef restoration project, launched in 2021. The programme, which has achieved a 95% coral survival rate and a 50% rise in fish biomass, aims to help the UAE plant over four million coral fragments by the end of the decade.