ABU DHABI // Nine Emirati engineer graduates have joined the Federal Authority for Nuclear Regulation (FANR) nuclear training programme.
The programme is intended to nurture Emirati talent in efforts to build long-term sustainability in the nuclear sector.
Consisting of 10 modules, the programme begins with a two-week orientation and an introductory course in nuclear engineering.
The group will take part in a year-long nuclear regulatory development programme that will teach them technical concepts applicable to nuclear engineering and regulation.
Christer Viktorsson, director general of the authority said, “We’re proud to bring on board such a promising generation of young Emiratis who will contribute substantively to the UAE’s energy future.”
“Nuclear energy has a bright future in the UAE, which can’t rely on petroleum alone to produce its electricity in the future,” said programme engineer, Fatima Al Hammadi, who recently received a degree in mechanical engineering from Khalifa University in Abu Dhabi.
The programme will allow the engineers the opportunity to rotate jobs and take part in an overseas study tour; finishing off with a nuclear management course provided by the International Atomic Energy Agency.
In addition to the engineers graduates, FANR employs 34 Emirati engineers and health physicists with 26 Emirati staff members holding masters or doctorate degrees in the nuclear field.
After deciding to pursue nuclear energy in 2009, the UAE reached an agreement for South Korea to supply the UAE’s first nuclear power station. Four reactors are currently under construction at the Barakah Nuclear Power Plant in the Western Region of Abu Dhabi.
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