More Emiratis participating in nuclear energy programmes

The UAE permanent mission to the IAEA said Emirati participants in its programmes jumped from 100 in 2010 to 600 last year.

ABU DHABI // The number of Emiratis taking part in nuclear-related programmes sponsored by the International Atomic Energy Agency in Vienna has been increasing rapidly.

The UAE permanent mission to the agency said Emirati participants jumped from 100 in 2010 to 600 last year.

“Young Emiratis are getting more interested in this field and they are becoming more aware of the issue, as well as nuclear technology, which is also part of the national programme,” said Omar Al Neyadi, the second secretary at the mission in Vienna. “We have ongoing programmes with the IAEA and we coordinate them in the UAE while assisting the agency in providing experts who are based in the UAE to contribute to some of its work.”

Established in 2009 with Hamad Alkaabi, the UAE ambassador to the agency, at its head, the mission was set up to transmit the UAE’s efforts in the peaceful use of nuclear power. “These projects target and improve development areas in the nuclear sector including nuclear power and other nuclear applications such as human health, agriculture, forensics, environmental protection, water management and quality and air pollution,” he said. “They support the capacity building and development of Emiratis in all nuclear-related aspects, providing trainings, workshops and courses on various nuclear topics.”

The mission’s engagement ranges from political to technical cooperation. “The increasing involvement of the UAE in this [use] of civil nuclear technology resulted in this increased interest [and] in the huge representation here,” said Mr Al Neyadi, an Emirati who has been working in Vienna for three and a half years.

The technical cooperation programmes are considered the main forum of exchange of expertise.

“The IAEA has a wide range of activities and expertise and it seeks to help member-states in their use of nuclear power, technology but also non-power technology,” said Linda Eid, the mission’s technical cooperation coordinator. “One of the main channels is the technical cooperation and the way they do it is by building human resources, through expert missions which they send to the UAE, technical trainings or courses, workshops and national, regional and international meetings.”

Emiratis are sent abroad for different types of training. They include scientific visits, which usually last two weeks, specific institutions and intensive training, as well as fellowships, which last at least three weeks, and group fellowships, which the mission has been focusing on recently. “This is because we have a very intense approach to human capacity building,” Ms Eid said. “Since the establishment of the mission, it has been the main channel of liaising this cooperation between the agency and the UAE. It is mainly technical expertise and nuclear technology but it also covers other aspects which the UAE has committed to in the nuclear policy, such as safety, security and safeguards.”

Last year, more than 600 Emiratis were sent to IAEA-related activities, compared to 100 four years ago, and that number is increasing.

The major focus of these two to four-year programmes for the UAE has been on nuclear security, radiation safety and reviews missions.

“Most of the focus from the UAE is the nuclear power programme,” she said. “There’s a huge project which is completely dedicated to the development of the infrastructure needed and the human resources for the programme.”

Other areas of interest include emergency preparedness and response.

“In the aftermath of the Fukushima accident, there was no way to take that off the priority list,” Ms Eid said.

The mission is now focusing on new projects for 2016 and 2017, including radiation protection in healthcare, cancer management, water quality management and environmental protection.

“We’re trying to diversify and cover everything,” she said. “So it’s a wide range of areas where we know that the nuclear technology offered by the IAEA and experts can answer our national needs.”

The mission constantly touches base with key players in the UAE’s nuclear industry, including the Federal Agency for Nuclear Regulation and the Emirates Nuclear Energy Corporation.

“Our role, nationally, is to constantly review what the national needs and priorities are, which is why we develop with them essential basic documents on which we base our technical cooperation,” Ms Eid said. “The UAE’s engagement has drastically increased over the years and we’re keen on sharing the UAE’s knowledge by sending our experts to international meetings.”