UAE participates in atomic energy conference in Vienna

Yukiya Amano, the Japanese director general of the International Atomic Energy Agency delivers a speech at the opening of IAEA’s general conference at the International Centre in Vienna, Austria, yestShow more

VIENNA // Member states of the International Atomic Energy Agency, including the UAE, will soon be able to make adjustments to the safety of their nuclear power plants following the publishing in 2015 of a report on the Fukushima accident.

The UAE, which took part in the agency’s annual General Conference in Vienna, Austria, yesterday, backed the IAEA’s strong role in ensuring nuclear safety globally.

“This will continue to be a strong element of debate in the IAEA,” said Hamad Alkaabi, the UAE ambassador to the IAEA. “The [agency’s] Action Plan on Nuclear Safety was a good step. Now it’s time to implement it and it’s also time to extract all the lessons learnt from the Fukushima accident and apply them by member states. This is a priority.”

Safety topped the agenda at the conference as nuclear officials said the increasing demand for nuclear power globally would require an even stronger safety environment.

“The aftermath of the Fukushima accident has justifiably continued to dominate the international conversation on nuclear safety,” said Ban Ki-moon, United Nations secretary general. “There’s a growing recognition that the use of nuclear power requires a strong nuclear safety culture, including the adoption and implementation of effective international safety standards. In the same way, nuclear security has also remained at the forefront of international concerns and every care must be taken to minimise the threat of nuclear terrorism.”

According to a recent report by the IAEA, 72 nuclear reactors are under construction, 28 of which are located in developing countries. Thirty-three countries have expressed interest in introducing nuclear power.

“All these trends indicate that the demand for services of the agency will continue to increase,” said Tebogo Seokolo, permanent representative of South Africa to the IAEA and president of last year’s conference. “We must continue to give necessary assurances to our people that due attention is given to issues of safety and security. We are looking forward to the finalisation of the Fukushima accident report to draw appropriate lessons and make necessary adjustments.”

He said energy security remained one of the key objectives of all governments across the globe. “Nuclear energy constitutes an integral part of most countries’ energy mix, especially in developing countries,” he said. “Notwithstanding the Fukushima accident, global trends indicate that nuclear technology remains safe, clean and economically viable.”

Yukiya Amano, the IAEA’s director general, said progress was continuing to be made in improving nuclear safety worldwide.

“I have seen concrete improvements in safety features at every nuclear power plant I have visited since the Fukushima accident,” he said. “In the immediate aftermath of the accident, the focus was on helping Japan respond to the crisis and ensuring that the necessary lessons were learnt, and acted upon, everywhere. At next year’s conference, we will publish an important report on the accident.”

But Mr Amano said nuclear safety was not simply about guarding against severe natural hazards.

“In the coming years, we have to look at safety aspects of other important issues,” he said. “These include decommissioning old facilities, extending the operating life of existing nuclear power plants, disposing of high-level radioactive waste and developing innovative technologies such as fast reactors and new small and medium-sized reactors. ”

Countries such as the US, China, Russia and Egypt presented their national plans, concerns and challenges at the conference. The UAE also established an exhibit of its Barakah nuclear site at the venue.

“It’s a one-stop shop for information related to the UAE programme, policies, construction and status,” Mr Alkaabi said. “Experts from the Federal Authority for Nuclear Regulation, Emirates Nuclear Energy Corporation and the UAE mission to the IAEA interact with visitors and it has been very useful and attracted a lot of attention from delegates.

“The UAE comes with very credible ground in terms of advancement in its nuclear programme and it is setting a model for many countries to pursue or develop a nuclear programme.”