Today's Edition
MAYS IBRAHIM (ABU DHABI)
The UAE and South Korea are deepening their strategic collaboration in two of humanity's most critical arenas - clean energy and water security - through a multifaceted partnership, combining diplomacy, technology, and policy to drive long-term resilience.
The UAE has committed $30 billion in investment into South Korea across several strategic sectors, including energy, nuclear, and defence.
The foundation for the two countries' cooperation was laid years ago. In January 2023, during a summit between President His Highness Sheikh Mohamed bin Zayed Al Nahyan and then South Korean President Yoon Suk-yeol, the two countries exchanged several memorandums of understanding (MoUs), including agreements on water resources and hydrogen energy.
In particular, the two leaders agreed to strengthen strategic cooperation in four key areas: conventional energy and clean energy; peaceful nuclear energy; economy and investment; and defence and defence technology; as well as in other areas of mutual interest, including space, emerging industries, and culture.
Nuclear energy is a key pillar of this bilateral partnership. South Korea played a central role in building the UAE's now fully operational Barakah Nuclear Energy Plant, with Emirati and Korean experts working together over the past decade to develop the infrastructure.
This technical and strategic cooperation continues: in July 2025, the Emirates Nuclear Energy Company (ENEC) and Korea's Hyundai Engineering and Construction signed a memorandum of understanding to explore international nuclear-energy opportunities.
The collaboration builds on South Korea's technical contributions to the construction and operation of the Barakah plant - including its APR-1400 reactor design - and supports ongoing knowledge transfer and cooperation.
The policy-level alignment between the two countries continues to drive progress.
In December 2024, the UAE's Ministry of Energy and Infrastructure (MoEI) held the 7th meeting of the Joint Operation Committee for Water Resource Cooperation with South Korea's Ministry of Environment.
The meeting focused on technology exchange, capacity building, and best-practice benchmarking.
During that meeting, UAE officials reaffirmed the strategic importance of water in energy and food security.
"The cooperation between the UAE and Republic of Korea in the field of water resources management is a successful model to achieve global climate targets and meet future sustainable water and energy goals by accelerating innovative technologies R&D, exchange of knowledge, capacity building, and best practice benchmarking," Eng Sharif Al Olama, Undersecretary for Energy and Petroleum Affairs at MoEI, said in a previous report.
A major strand of this cooperation lies in technology. At the Water, Energy, Technology, and Environment Exhibition (WETEX), organised by Dubai Electricity & Water Authority (DEWA), South Korea has consistently been a heavy hitter.
At WETEX 2024, for example, 49 Korean companies displayed a broad battery of innovations: from reverse-osmosis (RO) desalination systems and turbo compressors to AI-powered leak detection and ultrasonic flow meters.
At WETEX 2025, South Korea once again brought a strong delegation: 14 companies and four organisations exhibited advanced water efficiency and grid management solutions, including predictive diagnostics for electricity outages and resilient smart valve technologies.
One high-impact research partnership dates back to 2018, when Masdar Institute (now part of Khalifa University) signed an agreement with Korea University to jointly develop energy-efficient desalination technologies.
Their work included a pilot desalination plant in Abu Dhabi, powered by renewable energy, to test low-energy pre-treatment processes.
Water and energy often go hand in hand, and the UAE–Korea partnership reflects that. In a September 2025 tour to Seoul, Eng Al Olama co-chaired the 8th Joint Operation Committee Meeting for Water Resource Cooperation, while also engaging with Korean firms on hydrogen production, carbon capture, and grid stability.
