EDF is to provide services to support Nawah Energy Company in the operation and maintenance of the United Arab Emirates' four-unit Barakah nuclear power plant under a long-term framework agreement signed this week.

National nuclear regulator the Federal Authority for Nuclear Regulation has released its first annual report on radiological environmental monitoring in the United Arab Emirates, establishing the baseline level of radiation for the UAE.

International experts are meeting in Abu Dhabi to discuss global nuclear non-proliferation and export controls at a four-day workshop hosted by the UAE's nuclear regulator. Meanwhile, China General Nuclear has described a change to US policy on exports to China as inappropriate.

Building a nuclear energy programme is a truly global undertaking. It requires a strong and long-term commitment from the nation pursuing the programme, and partnerships with governments and global experts that offer guidance and insight based on best practices and operating experience. As the first new nuclear energy programme in decades, the United Arab Emirates offers a unique example of this process, writes Ambassador Hamad Al Kaabi.

A collaborative research agreement aimed at advancing nuclear safety research and training future nuclear workers in the United Arab Emirates has been signed by the Federal Authority for Nuclear Regulation and Khalifa University of Science and Technology.

The Emirates Nuclear Energy Corporation and its subsidiaries have launched the Barakah Youth Council to "inspire, support, and empower" future leaders of the United Arab Emirates' nuclear energy industry.

Tests that simulate the temperatures and pressures which the reactor systems will be subjected to during normal operation have been completed at unit 2 of Barakah nuclear power plant in the United Arab Emirates.

An electricity generation licence has been issued to Barakah One Company, a key regulatory requirement prior to operation of the UAE's first nuclear power plant. Meanwhile, further steps to develop the Emirati nuclear workforce.
 

A team of International Atomic Energy Agency experts has completed a review of the United Arab Emirates' overall nuclear energy infrastructure.

Fuel loading at unit 1 of the United Arab Emirates' first nuclear power plant - will now take place in late 2019 or early 2020. Nawah Energy Company said the updated start-up schedule reflects the time required to complete operator training and to obtain the necessary regulatory approvals.

A third training class of nuclear operators for Vogtle units 3 and 4 have passed their US Nuclear Regulatory Commission initial licensing exam. Fifty-six licensed operators are now available for the units, where construction milestones continue to be met. Employees of the United Arab Emirates' nuclear regulator have also completed a reactor operator training programme.

The final dome structure has been completed at the United Arab Emirates' four-unit Barakah nuclear power plant, a key milestone for the project. The country has also inaugurated its first dosimetry laboratory to support radiation protection activities.