Suhail bin Mohammed Faraj Faris Al Mazrouei, Minister of Energy and Industry, said that the UAE had provided the fastest and latest peaceful nuclear programme to the world by utilising the best technologies while executing the conditions of security and safety according to the best international practices.

On the sidelines of the activities of the International Ministerial Conference on Nuclear Power in the 21st Century, currently being held in Abu Dhabi, the minister said that the UAE had built an integrated, peaceful nuclear programme, including the implementation of related legislation within 10 years, besides training qualified national manpower capable of operating the nuclear energy plants, according to set timeframes.

This demonstrates the power of the UAE’s peaceful nuclear programme, as it gives hope to the countries in the region and the world who want to enter this field, he added. He emphasised that the UAE’s expertise in this field was available to the Arab and GCC countries.

"This industry is a vital sector in the country, and we are striving to increase its contributions to the national economy in the future. We intend to develop an integrated strategy for the industrial sector in the country to achieve a qualitative leap towards a sustainable economy and an honourable national industry," Al Mazrouei continued.

He went on to say that the UAE aimed to operate the peaceful nuclear energy plants in the upcoming year, adding that this project would provide around 25 percent of the energy requirements in the country by 2021.

The National Energy Strategy 2050 would give priority to nuclear energy, and aim to consolidate it by using environment-friendly energy and decreasing the reliance on other fuel sources within three decades, he remarked.

He underscored the UAE’s commitment to dialogue and discussion with all the countries regarding the challenges that the nuclear energy sector faces, as well as dealing with urgent issues such as climate change, urging other nations to adopt peaceful nuclear energy technologies.