UAE following 'good' nuclear safety standards, say experts

The UAE, aiming to be the first Gulf Arab nation to develop nuclear power, is following “good” safety standards as it builds its reactors, UN-affiliated atomic energy specialists have said.

“We are pleased to see the development of a nuclear policy,” said Carl-Magnus Larsson, who led the mission dispatched by the Vienna-based International Atomic Energy Agency.

“There’s a logical sequence of events in the ambitions of this country to embark in nuclear power.”

The UAE plans to build four nuclear reactors even as other countries halt their atomic programmes after a March earthquake and tsunami caused radiation to leak from Japan’s Fukushima plant.

The programme, estimated to cost at least $20bn, is a venture between state-owned Emirates Nuclear Energy Corp and Korea Electric Power Corp, South Korea’s biggest electricity producer. Korea Electric has a contract to complete the plants from 2017 to 2020.

The Gulf state holds 7 percent of global crude oil reserves, and like neighbouring Saudi Arabia, it wants to diversify its energy sources to meet a growing demand for electricity from expanding industries.

The specialists recommended that the UAE Federal Authority for Nuclear Regulation develop a plan as soon as possible to manage radioactive waste.

“We would like to see that the development of a waste management policy is being brought to conclusion,” Larsson said on Wednesday at a news conference in Abu Dhabi.

Work in the “emergency response area” also needs to be completed, he said.

The mission, which the UAE invited to conduct a 10-day review of nuclear safety standards, included members from the UK, US, Australia, Brazil and Belgium.