FANR hosts Al Ain Public Forum

The Federal Authority for Nuclear Regulation (FANR) hosted a public forum on 6 March 2013 at the Municipality Theater in Al Ain in the presence of media representatives in the UAE.

As with other FANR forums, FANR hosted this forum with the aim of introducing to the residents of Al Ain FANR’srole in ensuring the safe, secure and peaceful uses of the nuclear programme in the UAE.

FANR’s Director General, Dr William D. Travers, said:

“Public outreach is more than just presenting technical facts; it is about placing important information in a societal context and about engaging all stakeholders in a meaningful conversation. Openness and transparency are key components of FANR’s nuclear regulatory programme”.

The forum was held by FANR’s officials representing various departments, and in cooperation with the Al Ain Municipality. The attendees were able to ask questions about FANR’s regulatory work, scholarships, employmentopportunities and its responsibility within the nuclear programme.  

FANR plans to conduct another public forum in the city of Abu Dhabi during the month of April.

Read original article here. http://www.fanr.gov.ae/En/MediaCentre/News/Pages/FANR-hosts-Al-Ain-Public-Forum.aspx

FANR

About FANR

​The Federal Authority for Nuclear Regulation (FANR) is the independent government body charged with regulating and licensing nuclear activities in the UAE, which in addition to the nuclear power programme, includes radioactive material and radiation sources used in medicine, research, oil exploration and other industries.

The Authority determines all matters relating to the control and supervision of the nuclear sector in the UAE, in particular nuclear safety and security, radiation protection and safeguards. All obligations under the relevant international treaties, conventions or agreements entered into by the UAE are carried out by FANR.

The Authority is embarking on an effort to build an emirates workforce to oversee the nuclear sector in the UAE​

FANR and industrial radiography

Companies operating in the UAE and involved in industrial radiography might have noticed over the past two years how the FANR has been interacting in a very efficient way to improve safety and security standards with regards to use and possession of regulated materials.

Most of the NDT (Non Destructive Testing) companies operating in the UAE do import and use the following type of radioactive materials.

Iridium 192- half life 73.8 days

Selenium 75 - 119.7 days

Cobalt 60 - 5.2 years

Caesium 137 - Half life 30 years

While cobalt 60 is rarely used Iridium and Selenium account for most of the radioactive material import. In addition to this FANR closely monitors the import and movement of Depleted Uranium content (DU) which is a shielding material used in industrial radiography projectors like Techops 660, Delta 880 etc.

Some of the main divisions of FANR are

Radiation Protection

Safeguards

Security

All organisations involved in the use of regulated materials are required to abide by the various regulations set by the FANR (for Eg FANR regulation no 24, Regulation 13, Regulation 10) and regulatory guides associated with them. 

It has now become a mandatory requirement for the companies who might have taken the security and safety factor for granted in the past. Penalties are enforced to companies violating the regulations. 

FANR departments holds workshops at least once a year to educate and provide information to companies on the various programs and regulations.

What is really noticeable is that FANR staff are very much approachable compared to the other bodies involved in the same functions in the past.There is a strong communication network through email, telephone and direct visits.

UAE First "Newcomer" In 27 Years To Start Nuclear Power Plant Construction

The United Arab Emirates is the first country to start the construction of its first nuclear power plant in 27 years, since construction was started on China's first plant in 1985.

As of 30 August 2012, the Barakah-Unit 1 is reported in the IAEA Power Reactor Information System (PRIS) as "under construction".

The Emirates Nuclear Energy Corporation (ENEC) poured the first nuclear safety-related concrete on 18 July 2012, after receiving a construction license from the Federal Authority of Nuclear Regulation (FANR). The first unit of the APR1400 technology supplied by a Korean consortium led by KEPCO is scheduled to be in operation in 2017 and three additional units are planned to be operational by 2020.

The UAE has started its nuclear power programme to meet increasing demand for electricity. The country has been cooperating closely with the IAEA since the beginning of its nuclear energy programme.

In early 2011, the IAEA carried out an Integrated Nuclear Infrastructure Review Mission (INIR) to review the status of the UAE's nuclear power programme development. The INIR mission team concluded that the programme has progressed well and has been implemented in line with the IAEA "Milestones" approach. The results of the UAE INIR mission are published on the IAEA website.

An Integrated Regulatory Review Service Mission (IRRS) was conducted by the IAEA in December 2011, covering the UAE regulatory framework for all nuclear activities regulated by FANR. This mission also took into account the lessons learned so far from the accident at TEPCO's Fukushima Daiichi Nuclear Power Station.

Other embarking countries have also benefitted from IAEA assistance and INIR missions, including Bangladesh, Belarus, Indonesia, Jordan, Thailand and Vietnam.

The UAE is the third country in 2012 to start construction on an NPP. The two other constructions started this year are the Baltiisk-1 Unit in the Russian Federation, and the Shin-Ulchin-1 Nuclear Power Plant in the Republic of Korea. Worldwide there are 64 nuclear power reactors currently under construction.

INIR

The Integrated Nuclear Infrastructure Review (INIR) covers the comprehensive infrastructure required for building a nuclear power programme. Upon request from a Member State, the IAEA conducts INIR missions, including a team of international experts, who have direct experience in specialized nuclear infrastructure areas and specialized IAEA staff.

Building on a Member State's self-evaluation, the mission team reviews the infrastructure status through interviews, site visits and document reviews. Suggestions and recommendations are provided in a report to the Member State, enabling it to update its national action plan accordingly.

IRRS

The IRRS is designed to enhance the effectiveness of the regulatory infrastructure of States for nuclear, radiation, radioactive waste and transport safety and security of radioactive sources, by reviewing both regulatory technical and policy issues against IAEA Safety Standards and good practises in other countries.

IRRS missions provide a balance between technical and policy discussions among senior regulators and the opportunity to share regulatory experiences, to harmonize regulatory approaches among countries and to create mutual learning opportunities among regulators.

PRIS

The Power Reactor Information System (PRIS), developed and maintained by the IAEA for over four decades, is a comprehensive database focusing on nuclear power plants worldwide. PRIS contains information on power reactors in operation, under construction or those being decommissioned.

The database covers reactor specification data (status, location, operator, owner, suppliers, milestone dates), technical design characteristics, and performance data including energy production and energy loss data, outage and operational event information.

-- By Rodolfo Quevenco, IAEA Division of Public Information; and Anne Starz and Elisabeth Dyck, IAEA Division of Nuclear Power