For the last 14 years, Danny Sebright and his team at the US-UAE Business Council have worked to build and broaden the bilateral commercial and trade relationship between the US and the UAE. Danny’s decades of engagement with the UAE and his experience as a Middle East policy advisor came to bear when the UAE decided to pursue a 123 civil nuclear cooperation agreement with the US government.
The Business Council successfully rallied the US business community to promote and support the US-UAE 123 Agreement for Peaceful Civilian Nuclear Energy Cooperation, which entered into force on December 17, 2009. It is consistently reaffirmed as the “gold standard” of nuclear cooperation agreements by nonproliferation experts and US officials across administrations for its commitment to safety, security, and operational transparency.
The 123 Agreement laid the foundations needed to develop the UAE Peaceful Nuclear Energy Program and the Barakah nuclear energy plant -- the first commercial nuclear power station in the Arabian Peninsula. Barakah entered commercial operation in December of 2021, and once all four units are operational, the plant will produce up to 25% of the country's electricity requirements and prevent the release of 21 million tons of carbon emissions annually. To date, over 175 US companies in 33 states have been awarded contracts to support the program.
In his story, Danny shares behind the scenes moments as he worked with UAE and US officials on this historic agreement.
