A team of experts from the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) went on an eight-day mission to the United Arab Emirates (UAE) to review its infrastructure to develop a nuclear power program.
The UAE is building its first nuclear power plant at the Barakah site in Abu Dhabi. The IAEA’s Integrated Nuclear Infrastructure Review (INIR) was dispatched to UAE to provide detailed guidance for developing the infrastructure needed for a nuclear power program.
“This INIR phase 3 mission is the first of its kind, marking an important milestone for both the UAE and the IAEA,” team leader Milko Kovachev, head of the IAEA’s Nuclear Infrastructure Development Section, said. “We met with highly motivated and competent professionals from the UAE, and the mission was conducted in a cooperative and open atmosphere. The UAE is well-focused in its preparations for the operation of the first unit of the nuclear power plant, although some work remains to be done.”
The team made several recommendations and suggestions including the need for the UAE to implement all the appropriate arrangements for radioactive waste management.
“The UAE is rapidly moving forward with the development of its peaceful nuclear energy sector. The successful conclusion of the Phase 3 INIR mission is a testament to the UAE’s commitment to upholding the highest international standards of safety, security, and transparency as we approach the commissioning of the nation’s first nuclear energy plant,” H.E. Ambassador Hamad Alkaabi, UAE’s Permanent Representative at the IAEA, said.