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Government action is a necessary precursor to award of $40 billion in nuclear reactor construction
The Wall Street Journal reports an independent nuclear regulatory body has been set up in the United Arab Emirates (UAE) under a new law that paves the way for up to $40 billion in new nuclear reactor construction.
The UAE's cabinet appointed a board of management for the new regulatory body. The first action by the board was to name William Travers as the body's first director-general. Bloomberg wire service reported he had been working to set up the agency for some time. The board’s action makes its official.
Mr Travers has previously served as a senior technical adviser at the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) and executive director for operations at the US Nuclear Regulatory Commission.
According to an English language press report in the UAE, the Board of Management, which will be led by Dr Ahmed Al Mazroui as Chairman, includes Abdulla Nasser Al Suwaidi, Deputy Chairman, Ali Shaer Sultan Al Dhaheri, Saif Mohamed Al Zaabi, Majid Ali Al Mansouri, Ambassador Hamad Ali Al Kaabi, Dr Abdulkader Ibrahim Abdulla Al Khayat, Dr Ali Mohamed Shaheen and Representative of the Ministry of Environment and Water as members.
UAE regulatory agency based on IAEA model
UAE president Sheikh Khalifa bin Zayed Al Nahyan issued the long- awaited new nuclear law based on criteria set by the IAEA, the UAE government's Emirates News Agency said.
According to a press statement, the chairman of the board of management, Ahmed Al Mazroui, said:
"We fully understand the unrivalled importance of safety with regard to the peaceful uses of nuclear energy and are committed to ensuring that the benefits of peaceful nuclear energy, whether within the areas of electricity generation, medicine, industry or agriculture, are only made available in a manner that does not compromise public safety or the environment."
Mazroui also said measures will be put in place to ensure the independence and "fiscal sustainability" of the planned Federal Authority of Nuclear Regulation that will oversee the nuclear energy sector and "promote the highest standards of nuclear safety, nuclear security and radiological protection.”
He emphasized that the "development, construction or operation of uranium enrichment or spent fuel reprocessing facilities" is prohibited in the UAE under the new law. He told Dow Jones News Wires, “the UAE can achieve [nuclear] fuel security through reliance on the international fuel services market.”
Bidders wait for US 1-2-3 agreement
Three international consortiums are bidding for the massive nuclear works project. They are a French group including Areva, Total, EDF, and GDF Suez, a team led by GE-Hitachi, and one from Korea Electric Power Corp.
The UAE plans to build an estimated 4-5 GWe of nuclear powered electricity generation capacity by 2017 to meet three needs; 1) replace natural gas for water desalinization, 2) supply power to its growing aluminum industry, and 3) turn the UAE into a regional supplier of electricity especially to the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia.
Also, the UAE's 1-2-3 agreement is pending before the US Congress. If no negative joint measure is enacted, the UAE will be authorized to acquire nuclear technologies, including fuel, from US firms. The deadline for congressional action mid-October. A decision on the award of the contract is expected in the UAE in December.
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Idaho Samizdat is a blog about the political and economic aspects of nuclear energy and nonproliferation issues. It covers the nuclear energy industry globally. Additionally, the blog has regional coverage on uranium mining in the western U.S. Link to original post
