The Board of Management of the UAE’s Federal Authority for Nuclear Regulation (FANR) has recently convened. FANR’s Director General, Christer Viktorsson, briefed the Board of Management on the latest capacity building activities of FANR, in particular on the training of the Emirati staff of FANR on a three-month fellowship programme at certain laboratories of the French Alternative Energies and Atomic Energy Commission (CEA) as well as on the completion by new Emirati employees of FANR of the Senior Reactor Management Certification programme.
Viktorsson also spoke about the participation of FANR staff in the Joint 8th and 9th Review Meeting of the Contracting Parties to the Convention on Nuclear Safety (CNS), which was held at the headquarters of the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) in Vienna, Austria in March 2023. The UAE presented its national report, which addresses, inter alia, the legislative, regulatory and technical measures that the UAE has taken to fulfil its obligations as the Contracting Party to the CNS.
Furthermore, the Board of Management was informed about FANR’s planned initiatives and activities as the contribution of FANR to the 28th Conference of the Parties (COP28) to the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC). The COP28 is an important platform where FANR will shed light on the importance of enhancing the effectiveness of nuclear and radiation regulatory systems, which will help strengthening the safe use of nuclear energy as a stable and decarbonized source of energy in support of national and international response efforts to mitigate environmental challenges. It was discussed that the COP28 would benefit from demonstrating the crucial role of effective nuclear regulation in supporting the safe introduction and operation of nuclear energy.
The Board of Management was briefed on the latest status of the four units of the Barakah Nuclear Power Plant (BNPP). Updates were also provided on FANR’s regulatory oversight on the operation of units 1, 2 and 3 of the BNPP, which are currently delivering electricity to the grid and, hence, are contributing in realising the nation’s vision in meeting the growing energy needs. It is worth mentioning that FANR is currently reviewing an application from Nawah Energy Company for a licence to operate unit 4 of the BNPP.