Meet Emirati Women Building UAE's Nuclear Energy Programme At Barakah

(MENAFN- Khaleej Times) At the Barakah Nuclear Energy Plant, precision is part of everyday life. Every decision matters, every procedure has a purpose, and every member of the team carries a responsibility that extends far beyond the plant itself.

For Emirati women Mouza Al Mazrouei and Fatma Al Ali, that responsibility is also deeply personal. Their work places them at the heart of the UAE's peaceful nuclear energy programme, while their individual journeys reflect the growing role of Emirati women in science, engineering and high-technology industries.

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They are at different stages of their careers, but they share a belief that expertise is built step by step through preparation, consistency and the willingness to keep learning.

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Career with national purpose

Mouza Al Mazrouei has always been drawn to environments where precision matters. Her first experience of industry came during an internship at RAK Ceramics, before she strengthened her technical foundation as an Instrumentation and Control Engineer at AMEC Foster Wheeler.

When the opportunity to join the Barakah project arrived in 2019, she saw more than a career move.”The responsibility was on a different scale, and so was the opportunity to contribute,” she said.“What made Barakah feel right was that I could keep pushing myself technically while being part of something with real national significance.”

Today, Mouza Al Mazrouei works in reactor operations at Enec Operations and is pursuing her Senior Reactor Operator licence from the Federal Authority for Nuclear Regulation. It is a demanding path that requires technical depth, sound judgement and discipline.

For her, however, reaching that milestone is not simply about earning a title.“What matters more is the trust and responsibility that comes with it,” she said.“Nuclear operations require discipline, sound judgement and the right mindset every day.”

The scale of Barakah's contribution makes that responsibility tangible. The units plant supplies the UAE's electricity needs around the clock, supporting homes, hospitals, schools, businesses and industries.

“It is easy to focus on systems, procedures and technical details because that is the nature of the work, but the wider purpose is always there,” Mouza said.“Knowing that our work contributes to something so essential gives me a very clear sense of responsibility.”

From knowledge to action

For Fatma Al Ali, the journey to Barakah began in a university classroom. She studied chemical engineering at the American University of Sharjah, where subjects including thermodynamics, fluid mechanics and heat and mass transfer gave her a strong technical base. An internship at EtihadWE then allowed her to see how those principles worked in practice through reverse osmosis systems, plant operations and troubleshooting.

Joining the Emirates Nuclear Energy Company took that learning into an entirely new environment. Now a Local Operator at Barakah, Fatma Al Ali is part of ENEC's Graduate Plant Operator Programme. The structured pathway combines technical training, hands-on operational experience and guidance from experienced professionals.

“What I like about that progression is that I am constantly turning theory into something practical and tangible,” she said.

At this stage, a good day is one in which something learned during training becomes clearer in the operational environment. Work calls for concentration, curiosity and the humility to learn from others.

It also depends heavily on teamwork.“Nuclear operations are highly technical, but you cannot do the job well with technical knowledge alone,” Fatma said.“Teamwork, consistency and professionalism matter just as much.”

Becoming a Senior Reactor Operator is a long-term ambition, but she is not rushing the process. Her current focus is on becoming the strongest Local Operator she can be and making full use of the experience available to her.

“Confidence is built through preparation and consistency, not by trying to know everything at once,” she said.“In fact, the more I learn, the more aware I become of how much there still is to develop.”

Learning across cultures and generations

Barakah brings together Emirati talent and international nuclear experts from different programmes and operating environments. For Al Mazrouei, that exchange is one of the most valuable parts of the job.

“There is always another perspective to learn from,” she said.“Nuclear energy is a global industry, and working with people who bring experience from different programmes has shown me how much stronger a team can be when technical knowledge and different ways of thinking come together.”

At the same time, she is seeing Emirati professionals build their own depth of knowledge and operational experience expertise that will sustain the UAE programme for decades to come.

The programme has included more than 2,000 UAE nationals across operations, engineering and leadership roles, according to ENEC. For women entering technical fields, this growing national capability means there are visible pathways into careers that might once have seemed distant.

Fatma's development has also extended beyond engineering. Her participation in the Future Skills for Women programme exposed her to communication, education and public policy, while the EGA Ershaad mentorship programme connected her with experienced professionals from engineering and business.

Those experiences changed the way she understood professional confidence. It was not about having every answer, she said, but about recognising her strengths, planning her development and taking practical steps towards her goals.

'You do not have to feel ready'

Both women speak openly about the scale of learning involved in a technical career. Neither presents confidence as something that arrives before the work begins.

Mouza's own path moved from electronic engineering to instrumentation and control, and then into nuclear operations. Each stage required her to step into unfamiliar territory and build new knowledge.

Her advice to young Emirati women considering science, technology, engineering or mathematics is to not be discouraged by what you do not yet know.

“Technical careers can look intimidating from the outside because you see the knowledge and responsibility involved, but nobody starts out knowing everything,” she said.

“Stay curious, ask questions, build a strong foundation and be willing to do the work. For me, confidence has come through competence through preparing, learning and proving to myself that I can take on more.”

At Barakah, that philosophy is visible in both women's journeys. One is working towards greater responsibility in reactor operations, the other is building her operational foundation one day at a time. Together, they represent a generation of Emirati women whose ambitions are not limited by the complexity of the fields they choose.

“You do not have to feel completely ready before you begin,” Mouza said.

Women in UAE nuclear programme

Women account for 20 per cent of ENEC's workforce, according to the latest publicly reported figure from August 2025, and hold positions across engineering, operations, nuclear safety and leadership.

They represent around 20 per cent of the wider UAE Peaceful Nuclear Energy Programme, including specialists working in critical roles such as Senior Reactor Operators and fuel loading.

Their participation connects the UAE to a wider international community, the global Women in Nuclear network has more than 35,000 members across over 145 countries and 60 chapters, while the UAE chapter helped establish the Women in Nuclear Middle East chapter in 2023.

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