Nuclear safety workshops begin

Emiratis who want to become involved in the operation and design of planned nuclear reactor buildings are attending workshops.

ABU DHABI // The Federal Authority for Nuclear Regulation (FANR) is holding workshops on nuclear facility safety in the capital this week for Emiratis who want to become involved in the operation and design of planned nuclear reactor buildings.

Officials from the Emirates Nuclear Energy Corporation, which has submitted a construction application to build four reactors in Al Gharbia, are attending presentations on international safety requirements and instructions for assessing technologies used at nuclear plants.

Officials from FANR and recent graduates of Khalifa University's science and engineering programme also attended the workshops organised by the regulation authority, the International Atomic Energy Agency and the Korea Institute of Nuclear Safety.

If the US$20 billion (Dh73bn) plan is approved, the first of four reactors in Braka is scheduled to be operational by 2017, making the UAE the first Arab nation to produce nuclear energy.

FANR aims to complete the review of the licensing application by next year.

Meanwhile, a piece of equipment containing the potentially dangerous radioisotope iridium 192 has still not been located after going missing from a company in Musaffah last week, a FANR spokesman said yesterday.