The President leaves Seoul for Abu Dhabi on Dec. 26. The President left Seoul early Saturday (Dec. 26) for a two-day visit to Abu Dhabi, the United Arab Emirates (UAE). He launched the tour as the process of an open competitive bid for a nuclear power plant in the Persian Gulf nation was reaching the final stages.

During his stay there, The President will hold a summit with UAE President Khalifa bin Zayed Al Nahyan, Cheong Wa Dae said.

It is still uncertain whether a Korean consortium will be successful in winning the order for a nuclear power plant, and The President’s visit this time is part of summit diplomacy in an effort to provide support for the Korean bidder, according to the presidential office.

The UAE has announced that it will make a final decision on the successful bid within this month based on such comprehensive considerations as the bidder''s ability to build a nuclear power plant, price competitiveness and the possibility of forging long-term cooperation.

The UAE''s nuclear power plant is expected to be a large-scale project, but the actual size of the plant has not been finalized.

The Korea Electric Power Corporation (KEPCO) formed a consortium last May to participate in the pre-qualification process for the plant. Other international corporations that applied for the process include AREVA of France and GE-Hitachi Nuclear Energy and Westinghouse Electric Company (WEC) of the United States as well as Toshiba and Mitsubishi of Japan.

Among them, the KEPCO consortium, AREVA and GE-Hitachi qualified to offer a tender last May. Following the submission of bids and on-the-spot surveys during July and August, the preferred bidders were chosen in September. The KEPCO consortium and AREVA are now vying for the contract.

Nuclear power plant construction in the UAE is regarded as a large-scale export project that will have an enormous ripple effect on the country''s economy. If the bid is successful, the order is anticipated to have great repercussion on Korea''s economic recovery.

This would be the first time for the Korean standard nuclear plant to be exported, and it is expected to serve as an opportunity to help Korea gain the upper hand in the global nuclear power plant market, including in the Middle East region.

Learning a lesson from the oil shocks in the 1970s, the Republic constructed two 500 MW-class plants, thus becoming the 21st nation in the world to have nuclear power plants. As the world''s 6th nuclear powerhouse, Korea is currently operating a total of 20 plants with the nation''s nuclear power technology independence rate reaching 95 percent.

Putting forward the green growth initiative as a national vision, The President has paid keen attention to nuclear power generation since the early days of his inauguration. Nuclear power generation emits almost zero carbon dioxide and no air pollutants, thereby emerging as an optimum measure in cutting greenhouse gas emissions.

The global nuclear power plant market is increasingly expanding. Amidst this situation, Korea''s state-of-the-art nuclear power technologies are expected to become yet another major export industry following semiconductors, shipbuilding and automobiles.

Senior Secretary for Public Affairs Lee Dong-kwan said, “If Korea is selected as the successful bidder this time, it would be attributable to Korea''s technological prowess as well as diplomatic and bargaining power. It will point to a new era for acceptance of Korea''s standard nuclear plant in the international community.”