UAE serves as positive example at IAEA forum in Vienna

The country has a well-protected system against the risks of accidents from nuclear waste .

VIENNA // The UAE served as a positive example of a country with a well-protected system against risks of accidents from nuclear waste at the International Atomic Energy Agency’s scientific forum in Vienna this week.

In July, the country joined the Convention on Supplementary Compensation for Nuclear Damage (CSC), an international treaty developed as an umbrella for international liability conventions, providing the basis for a global nuclear liability regime.

“Liability conventions are important as a newcomer,” said Hamad Alkaabi, UAE ambassador to the IAEA. “It’s a predictable way to address risk for the industry, government and, most importantly, for the people in each country. We were convinced it was an important endeavour.”

The UAE’s nuclear liability regime deals with any nuclear incident that may happen in the country, including risks posed by leakages of radioactive material. Such leaks can reach across borders and it may take decades for the effects of exposure to radiation to manifest.

“It was clear for us that the more globalised these systems, the more practical arrangements are in place for citizens and companies and the industry to be compensated for risk,” Mr Alkaabi said. “Both the Government and the industry saw this as a great opportunity to have a system in place.”

The UAE recently joined and ratified the convention, but it has yet to come into force.

“It is perceived by some as one of the weaknesses of the global nuclear liability regime,” said Yukiyu Amano, director general of the IAEA. “As entry into force of the CSC becomes more likely, I thought it would be timely to host an event to provide information about it and other instruments which provide a basis for a global liability regime.”

He said the purpose was to strengthen that protocol.

“The IAEA Action Plan on Nuclear Safety adopted after the Fukushima accident calls upon member states to establish a global nuclear liability regime that addresses concerns of all states that might be affected by a nuclear accident, with a view to providing appropriate compensation,” Mr Amano said. “The IAEA has been working hard to strengthen the global liability regime for a long time and the important thing is that states should join one or more of the existing nuclear liability instruments.”

A total of 170 nuclear power plants of the existing 440 worldwide - more than 80 per cent - are expected to be covered by the regime in the near future.

“Many countries still don’t belong to any nuclear liability treaty,” said Peter Lyons, assistant secretary for nuclear energy at the US State Department of Energy. “The US believes nuclear energy must play an important role in addressing future energy needs in a safe, secure and environmentally sound manner.”

However, in order for nuclear energy to achieve its full potential, he said many issues needed to be addressed, including the establishment of a global liability regime.

“As demonstrated by the UAE, those countries that already belong to the revised Paris Convention or the revised Vienna Convention, can adhere to the CSC without changing their existing system. All of us agree on the need for a global regime and the importance to take actions now.”

With a growing number of states accessing nuclear energy for the first time, experts say it is a key issue.

“These countries, based on limited experience, will develop substantial nuclear capacities quickly over the coming decades,” said Frederic Journes, the French member of the IAEA’s Board of Governors. “And yet, at the same time, one major challenge for the development of nuclear power lies in the prompt and adequate indemnification of the victims in the case of nuclear damage.”

Mr Alkaabi said the UAE’s efforts to establish a more globalised system led to its decision to join the convention.

“Today, the UAE joined all these liability conventions and we feel very strongly about them,” he said. “It addresses a responsible approach to the development of nuclear energy.”