Abu Dhabi, July 15 (BNA) The Federal Authority for Nuclear Regulation in the United Arab Emirates has published its annual report for the year 2021 detailing its nuclear regulatory activities and milestones during 2021.
Throughout the year, FANR conducted its regulatory activities at the Barakah Nuclear Power Plant through its resident inspectors and other inspectors from its headquarters.
These activities included 33 nuclear safety inspections at the Barakah Nuclear Power Plant, which covered site construction, commissioning, operational readiness, power surge testing, vendor inspection activities, and operational activities.
As part of its responsibility to ensure the security of the Barakah Nuclear Energy Plant, FANR reviewed and approved the physical protection plan for the operation of the second unit, with the evaluation of the physical protection plan for the operation of the third unit beginning.
The authority also reviewed transport safety plans for non-radioactive nuclear fuel in the third unit and for refueling for the first unit.
Through 2021, the agency continued its commitment to nonproliferation. It conducted 10 safeguards inspections at the Barakah Nuclear Power Plant, in addition to 39 safeguards inspections at locations outside the facilities and another 85 inspections at license premises and parties involved in transporting regulated materials. FANR also operates the Nuclear Technology Gateway, the region’s first automated system to monitor nuclear imports and exports, which has processed more than 15,000 applications over the course of 2021.
In line with its goal of protecting the public and the environment from radioactive hazards, the authority prepared the fourth national report of the United Arab Emirates on the Joint Agreement on the Safety of Spent Fuel Management and the Safety of Radioactive Waste Management, which was submitted to the International Atomic Energy Agency. for review.
The report reviews the measures implemented by the UAE to ensure the management of nuclear and radioactive waste to protect the public and the environment from radiation hazards.
By the end of 2021, FANR’s radiation safety inspectors had conducted 301 inspections across the UAE targeting high and medium risk facilities and activities. In addition, 12 inspectors from the authority evaluated the nucleus’s arrangements to respond to a hypothetical emergency affecting two units at the Barakah Nuclear Power Plant.
The Authority’s Second Dosimetry Laboratory (SSDL), which opened in 2018 and is located on the Khalifa University campus in Abu Dhabi, is responsible for the calibration of radiation-emitting devices used in civilian industries, such as the medical sector.
During 2021, the laboratory performed 819 calibrations, an increase of 30% over the previous year and a customer satisfaction rate of 99%. These services aim to ensure that radiation devices emit safe and accurate radiation doses to ensure the safety of users.
The Emergency Operations Center, which was launched and operated by the authority at the regulatory authority’s headquarters in Abu Dhabi, was fully operational throughout 2021. To further demonstrate the emergency preparedness arrangements, the authority led and participated in the International Atomic Energy Agency Conference-ConvEx-3-Barakah UAE, which lasted For two days under the supervision of the International Atomic Energy Agency, more than 75 countries and 12 international organizations participated in it.
This exercise is one of the most complex in the world, and is conducted every three to five years to test response capabilities and early notification of international emergencies in nuclear or radiological emergencies, in accordance with international emergency conventions.
It is also an opportunity to assess the appropriateness of current communication and cooperation protocols, as well as identify areas for improvement in national and international response systems.
The authority continued to invest in building Emirati capabilities in the nuclear field. In 2021, the agency placed six people in a development program in the field of radiation safety, two of whom graduated in the same year.
The authority also continued its efforts to empower women in this sector, with women representing 43% of the workforce in the regulatory authority and occupying 50% of leadership positions.