The UAE has been re-elected to the Board of Governors of the International Atomic Energy Agency, (IAEA) for the period 2020 to 2022 at this year’s annual General Conference of the agency. The move reflects the confidence of the international community in the constructive role of the UAE in the mission and mandate of the Vienna-based organisation, WAM reported quoting a senior UAE official.

The Board of Governors is one of the main policy-making bodies of the IAEA, along with the annual General Conference. The 35-member board examines and makes recommendations to the General Conference on the IAEA’s financial statements, programme and budget. It considers applications for membership, approves safeguards agreements and the publication of the agency’s safety standards.
The board also considers ongoing verification reports such as those of Iran’s and North Korea‘s compliance.

The board generally meets five times a year – once in March, June and November, and twice in September.

The UAE had previously occupied the seat from 2016 to 2018, from 2013 to 2015 and from 2010-2012.

Hamad Al Kaabi, Permanent Representative of the UAE to the IAEA, said the UAE’s election to the IAEA’s Board underscores the confidence of the international community in the active role of the UAE in the international nuclear policy-making process. ”The move also underlines the global appreciation for the UAE’s successful efforts and its responsible approach towards the development of a peaceful nuclear energy programme,” he added.

The UAE recently started its first nuclear power reactor, thus developing its peaceful nuclear energy programme in a responsible manner. Unit 1 of the Barakah Nuclear Energy Plant achieved 50 per cent of its electricity production capacity last week. Throughout the development of its nuclear power programme, the UAE ensured it fully complied and adhered to the highest standards of safety, security and non-proliferation. The UAE is the first Arab country to develop and operate a nuclear power plant.

The UAE is a party to all relevant conventions and agreements in the area of nuclear safety, nuclear security, and safeguards. The country has been an active member of the IAEA since 1976 with a long standing policy in support of the Agency’s role in promoting the peaceful uses of nuclear energy and facilitating access of peaceful nuclear technology to member states.

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The reactor of Unit 1 of the Barakah Nuclear Energy Plant has achieved 50 percent of its electricity production capacity, announced Nawah Energy Company or Nawah, the joint venture nuclear operations and maintenance subsidiary of the Emirates Nuclear Energy Corporation (ENEC) and Korea Electric Power Corporation (KEPCO), reports WAM.

The achievement was announced on the sidelines of the 64th Annual Regular Session of the IAEA General Conference in Vienna, where the UAE hosted a side event entitled ‘UAE Peaceful Nuclear Energy Programme: The Journey’.

Reaching 50 percent power at Unit 1 of Barakah is an important step in the process of Power Ascension Testing (PAT), and comes at a historic time for the UAE Peaceful Nuclear Energy Programme. It is now one month since the UAE announced that it had safely and successfully began synchronising Unit 1 to the UAE transmission grid and dispatching the first megawatts of clean electricity from the Barakah Plant to the Nation.

A delegation from the UAE including Hamad Al Kaabi, UAE Permanent Representative to the IAEA; Mohamed Ibrahim Al Hammadi, CEO of ENEC; Christer Viktorsson, Director General of the Federal Authority for Nuclear Regulations, FANR; and Ali Al Hammadi, CEO of Nawah, is currently participating in the 64th Annual Regular Session of the IAEA General Conference being held from September 21-25 at Vienna, Austria. The conference has brought together high-ranking officials and representatives from the IAEA member-states, both physically and virtually, to discuss a range of nuclear energy topics.

The UAE’s participation comes as Nawah gradually raises the power levels of Unit 1 of the Barakah Plant – over a number of months – as a part of the ongoing Power Ascension Testing. Throughout this process, the Unit’s systems are tested in line with national regulatory requirements and international best practice as the operations team safely makes progress towards full electricity production. Once the process is completed, Unit 1 will enter commercial operations and deliver abundant baseload electricity for up to 18 months prior to refuelling, demonstrating how efficient and reliable nuclear energy is at generating clean electricity 24/7.

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