ABU DHABI // Australia has opened the door to supplying the UAE with nuclear fuel but has ruled out taking back the radioactive waste it generates.
"The UAE meets all the tests, and the tests are rigorous and extensive and we're happy to make a big commitment to providing them with energy security," the Australian foreign minister Bob Carr said yesterday.
Australia has the world's biggest uranium reserves, nearly a quarter of the global supply, and is expected to be one of the main suppliers for the UAE's nuclear power plant.
The Minister of Foreign Affairs, Sheikh Abdullah, signed a nuclear cooperation agreement with Mr Carr last night allowing for such nuclear trade as Abu Dhabi prepares to award a major contract for 15 years' worth of uranium. But fuel leasing, in which the supplier takes back the spent fuel, is off the cards for now in Australia, which also bans nuclear plants at home.
"Public opinion in Australia would be resolutely opposed to taking back nuclear waste," said Mr Carr. "That's a very big step, and there wouldn't be public support for it."
When Abu Dhabi outlined its plans to build the Arab world's first nuclear power plant in 2008, it had hoped that some supplier nations would be willing to take back the waste.
For suppliers, the benefits lie in preventing proliferation; for consumers, it frees them of the problem of storing the radioactive material.
Since then Abu Dhabi has signed nuclear cooperation treaties with the US, UK, France and South Korea, awarded a Dh75 billion nuclear plant contract and last month - with the first foundation concrete pouring - became the first nation to launch a civilian nuclear programme from scratch since the 1986 Chernobyl disaster.
But there has been slower progress with fuel leasing, which until now has been used only for small amounts of waste from research reactors.
The UAE is crafting a waste-management strategy that could include an underground storage site within its borders or a shared regional repository, should the GCC decide to build one. It is not relying on a single approach, said Hamad Al Kaabi, the UAE permanent representative to the International Atomic Energy Agency, the United Nations' nuclear watchdog, and the chief negotiator for the nation's nuclear cooperation treaties.
"Our strategy will not be based on something that's not mature enough to be reliable today," said Mr Al Kaabi before Mr Carr's visit. "We'll have our strategy on Plan A, and we'll continue to develop Plan B."
Mr Carr praised the UAE for providing a counter-example to Iran's nuclear programme, which western nations suspect is aimed at developing nuclear weapons.
"It's an excellent contrast to rule out enrichment and to subject the industry to through safeguards and monitoring," he said. "We share the UAE's concerns about Iran's nucear ambitons and the associated risks."
Australia has adopted sanctions against Iran in line with American and EU measures that he said have had "significant" effects on currency and oil exports.
"We've got to rely on them because they are an alternative to a military strike by the US or Israel," he said. "As Abraham Lincoln said, we work with the tools we have."
[ ayee@thenational.ae ]
Killing of Qassem Suleimani
SPEC SHEET
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Battery: 52.6Wh lithium-polymer, up to 18 hours, MagSafe charging
Camera: 1080p FaceTime HD
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Colours: Silver, space grey, starlight, midnight
In the box: MacBook Air, 30W or 35W dual-port power adapter, USB-C-to-MagSafe cable
Price: From Dh4,999
SPECS
Nissan 370z Nismo
Engine: 3.7-litre V6
Transmission: seven-speed automatic
Power: 363hp
Torque: 560Nm
Price: Dh184,500
EMERGENCY PHONE NUMBERS
Estijaba – 8001717 – number to call to request coronavirus testing
Ministry of Health and Prevention – 80011111
Dubai Health Authority – 800342 – The number to book a free video or voice consultation with a doctor or connect to a local health centre
Emirates airline – 600555555
Etihad Airways – 600555666
Ambulance – 998
Knowledge and Human Development Authority – 8005432 ext. 4 for Covid-19 queries
The specs
Engine: 3.6 V6
Transmission: 8-speed auto
Power: 295bhp
Torque: 353Nm
Price: Dh155,000
On sale: now
Company Profile
Company name: Namara
Started: June 2022
Founder: Mohammed Alnamara
Based: Dubai
Sector: Microfinance
Current number of staff: 16
Investment stage: Series A
Investors: Family offices
RESULTS
Bantamweight: Victor Nunes (BRA) beat Azizbek Satibaldiev (KYG). Round 1 KO
Featherweight: Izzeddin Farhan (JOR) beat Ozodbek Azimov (UZB). Round 1 rear naked choke
Middleweight: Zaakir Badat (RSA) beat Ercin Sirin (TUR). Round 1 triangle choke
Featherweight: Ali Alqaisi (JOR) beat Furkatbek Yokubov (UZB). Round 1 TKO
Featherweight: Abu Muslim Alikhanov (RUS) beat Atabek Abdimitalipov (KYG). Unanimous decision
Catchweight 74kg: Mirafzal Akhtamov (UZB) beat Marcos Costa (BRA). Split decision
Welterweight: Andre Fialho (POR) beat Sang Hoon-yu (KOR). Round 1 TKO
Lightweight: John Mitchell (IRE) beat Arbi Emiev (RUS). Round 2 RSC (deep cuts)
Middleweight: Gianni Melillo (ITA) beat Mohammed Karaki (LEB)
Welterweight: Handesson Ferreira (BRA) beat Amiran Gogoladze (GEO). Unanimous decision
Flyweight (Female): Carolina Jimenez (VEN) beat Lucrezia Ria (ITA), Round 1 rear naked choke
Welterweight: Daniel Skibinski (POL) beat Acoidan Duque (ESP). Round 3 TKO
Lightweight: Martun Mezhlumyan (ARM) beat Attila Korkmaz (TUR). Unanimous decision
Bantamweight: Ray Borg (USA) beat Jesse Arnett (CAN). Unanimous decision
DEADPOOL & WOLVERINE
Starring: Ryan Reynolds, Hugh Jackman, Emma Corrin
Director: Shawn Levy
Rating: 3/5
A list of the animal rescue organisations in the UAE
Company Profile
Name: HyveGeo
Started: 2023
Founders: Abdulaziz bin Redha, Dr Samsurin Welch, Eva Morales and Dr Harjit Singh
Based: Cambridge and Dubai
Number of employees: 8
Industry: Sustainability & Environment
Funding: $200,000 plus undisclosed grant
Investors: Venture capital and government
The years Ramadan fell in May
TWISTERS
Director:+Lee+Isaac+Chung
Starring:+Glen+Powell,+Daisy+Edgar-Jones,+Anthony+Ramos
Rating:+2.5/5
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