UAE places great importance on nuclear safety

The U.A.E. places great importance on nuclear safety and has been committed to implementing the Nuclear Safety Action Plan of the International Atomic Energy Agency, IAEA. Early lessons learned have been applied following the accident at Japan's Fukushima Daiichi plant in 2011. Quick action was taken and a comprehensive safety assessment of Barakah NPP reactors currently under construction was carried out, the U.A.E. Permanent Representative to the IAEA, Hamad Al Kaabi, has told the International Atomic Energy Agency.
Al Kaabi, in the U.A.E.'s statement to the IAEA's 58th Session in Vienna, affirmed that the U.A.E. continues to make significant progress in the development of its peaceful nuclear power programme. "In 2012, we started construction of the first reactor, followed by the second unit in 2013. Construction of Unit 1 of the Barakah nuclear power plant is more than 57% completed. Early this month, two additional reactors were granted license for construction, and just yesterday the third reactor's construction started." To strengthen its nuclear safety infrastructure, he said, the U.A.E. has hosted IAEA peer review missions, including IRRS mission, which assessed the U.A.E.'s nuclear regulatory framework, and an INIR mission which assessed the nuclear infrastructure in the country. A follow-up Integrated Regulatory Review Service is planned for next year. "Other missions scheduled to take place in the next two years include areas of Emergency Preparedness and Response (EPREV) missions, Operational Safety (OSART) missions and IPPAS security review missions." He noted that the U.A.E. finds peer review missions valuable and encourages member states to utilise peer reviews to strengthen their national nuclear infrastructure.
"My country commends the agency's on-going efforts in the area of nuclear safety, and looks forward to the IAEA Fukushima Report. We expect this report to add substantive support to countries building or reviewing their safety infrastructure, as it will provide a factual and balanced account of the causes, consequences and lessons learned from the accident.
"My country places great emphasis on international instruments in the area of nuclear safety. The U.A.E. participated in the 6th Review Meeting that took place this past April, to which its 2nd National Report on implementing the convention was submitted," Al Kaabi said.
He added that the U.A.E. had hosted the International Conference on the Safety and Security of Radioactive Sources in October 2013. This conference marked the 10-year anniversary of the Code of Conduct on the Safety and Security of Radioactive Sources, and highlighted significant progress made worldwide to implement the provisions of the Code. Along with all relevant international instruments, the U.A.E. has endorsed the Code of Conduct and its supplementary Guidance on the Import and Export of Radioactive Sources and submitted its national implementation report.
"In the scope of civil liability for nuclear damage, my country recognises the importance of establishing a national liability framework, and a harmonised international liability regime. In 2012, the U.A.E. joined the 1997 protocol amending the Vienna Convention on Nuclear Liability, and the Joint Protocol connecting Paris and Vienna Conventions. The U.A.E. has recently ratified the Convention on Supplementary Compensation for Nuclear Damage (CSC).
Affirming that the U.A.E. recognises the indispensable role of the IAEA in assisting Member States in the transfer of nuclear knowledge for peaceful use in all fields of nuclear applications, the U.A.E. representative to IAEA said, "We highly appreciate the work of the Technical Cooperation department in supporting national needs. The U.A.E. signed in 2013 an Integrated Work Plan with the agency, to coordinate the agency technical support to my country. The U.A.E. benefits from this support in different fields including in nuclear energy, health and agriculture, among others.
"Likewise, the U.A.E. continues to support agency work through sharing experiences with other member states and through participation in IAEA commissions, committees and technical meetings in various areas." Al Kaabi also affirmed that the U.A.E. recognises the threat posed by the existence of any unsecured nuclear material and facilities as well as the threat of nuclear terrorism, and supports the IAEA's role in the area of nuclear security. He noted that the U.A.E. has participated in the Nuclear Security Summit Series since inception with the most recent summit in The Hague in 2014.
Emphasising that full implementation of safeguards and commitment to non-proliferation is a fundamental condition for the development of nuclear programmes, the U.A.E. representative to IAEA said that states developing nuclear energy for peaceful uses need to comply fully with their safeguards and obligations, cooperate with the IAEA and take the required steps to address all international concerns and obligations, including those of relevant IAEA and UN Security Council resolutions.
He affirmed that the U.A.E. supports the agency's efforts to ensure the creditability and efficiency of the safeguards system and welcomes the increased number of additional protocols brought into force, encouraging member states who have not done so to join and bring into force additional protocol. "Application of the Additional Protocol along with the comprehensive safeguards agreement enables the IAEA to provide credible assurance on the exclusive peaceful nature of nuclear activities." Noting that the agency's support provided to member states in the area of safeguards and non-proliferation implementation was also valuable, he said that the U.A.E. has recently and successfully undergone an IAEA mission that assessed the country's State System of Accounting for and Control of Nuclear Material.
Speaking on non-compliance concerns, the U.A.E. permanent representative to the IAEA called on countries "whose safeguards implementation is in question, to fully cooperate with the IAEA, to address all outstanding concerns, including those concerns related to the possible military dimension, and to restore confidence in the exclusive peaceful nature of their programmes." "The 2010 NPT Review conference decision to hold a conference on the establishment of a Middle East zone free of nuclear weapons and other WMD in 2012 was a positive outcome in a sense that the countries of the region was hoping it would be convened and implemented successfully. However, the failure to convene the conference is a disappointment to my country and countries in the region. We continue to engage in various consultation with the conference facilitator, the conveners and countries of the region, and call for holding such a conference at an early date." He said the U.A.E. looks forward to the successful convening of a conference, in a timely manner, that will pave a step towards the establishment of the Middle East's zone free from nuclear weapons and from all weapons of mass destruction.
"The U.A.E. will continue to work closely with the agency and Member states towards strengthening nuclear safety, security and safeguards globally, while promoting responsible use of nuclear energy." Al Kaabi thanked the Secretariat of the agency for the comprehensive reports made available to member states in relation to these matters, and reassured the agency's President of the full cooperation of the U.A.E. delegation.
He also welcomed the Union of the Comoros, the Republic of Djibouti, the Republic of Guyana and the Cooperative Republic of Vanuatu as new members to the IAEA.
Source: WAM