Abu Dhabi: Emirates Nuclear Energy Corporation (ENEC), the organisation charged with implementing the UAE nuclear energy, is in the final stages of negotiating with teams of contractors bidding to design, build and help operate nuclear power plants across the UAE.

ENEC is in the advanced stages of evaluating a number of potential sites for the power plants throughout all regions of the UAE.

A team of UAE and international experts is currently conducting scientific studies on seismology, geology, the environment and other factors related to siting.

Actual construction, starting with the first pouring of safety-related concrete, will commence in 2012. A decision on which team will be selected as prime contractor is expected to be made shortly.

Strategic step

"This is a proud moment for the United Arab Emirates, as we take a strategic step to fuel the continued social and economic growth of our nation with nuclear energy," said ENEC Chief Executive Officer Mohammad Al Hammadi.

"We take this step with a deep understanding of the responsibility we have to the world community to use this technology wisely and safely."

ENEC's establishment is the culmination of nearly three years of evaluation and groundwork, during which the government looked at the most effective way to address growing energy demand.

Figures show demand for electricity nearly doubling in the UAE by 2020.

"We have conducted a comprehensive evaluation of all forms of energy generation, and we have come to the conclusion that nuclear energy represents an attractive source of electricity to meet our energy demands," said Al Hammadi. "Additionally, we are confident that we can develop this technology safely and efficiently, and begin producing electricity for the homes, businesses and people of the UAE in 2017."

"Our responsibility to the nation is clear: We will operate as a company in the safest manner possible as we build this programme and supply electricity to the UAE," Al Hammadi said. "Our mandate is also clear: build a culture of safety, and a record of performance on safety that is second to none in the nuclear industry."

Human resources

Al Hammadi also reinforced ENEC's focus on the importance of human resource development. "The nuclear energy programme will create more than electricity — it will create opportunities for the youth of our nation," he said. "We have already begun programmes to ensure that Emiratis will play important roles in the future of ENEC, from now and for decades to come."

In addition, ENEC will be responsible for overseeing the work of the eventual prime contractor in the design, construction and operation phases, working closely with the Abu Dhabi and Federal governments to ensure that the civil nuclear power programme is aligned with the industrial infrastructure plans of the UAE.

Projects

This will include overseeing work that will be done near the eventual power plant site, which would include community development, roads, utility and telecommunications projects.

It will also help work towards building the human resource capacity for the nuclear energy programme in coordination with the educational sector in the UAE and develop public communications and education programmes to ensure that UAE residents understand the civil nuclear energy programme and are provided information on its progress. ENEC would also serve as the investment arm of the Government of Abu Dhabi, making strategic investments in the nuclear sector, both domestically and internationally.

ENEC will be regulated by the Federal Authority for Nuclear Regulation (FANR), an independent safety regulatory body responsible for the oversight of the peaceful nuclear energy sector within the state and the enforcement of nuclear safety and radiological protection standards.

Licensing

FANR will also be responsible for the licensing of operators in the nuclear sector and the monitoring of radiological materials.

The Government of Abu Dhabi established ENEC following an evaluation of the UAE's future energy needs that determined the country would need to substantially increase its generating capacity to meet expected electricity demand.

The UAE's evaluation of its energy needs was wide-ranging and resulted in the following findings:

That volumes of natural gas that could be made available to the nation's electricity sector would be insufficient to meet future demand.

Environment

That the burning of liquids (crude oil and/or diesel) would be logistically viable but both costly and environmentally harmful.

That coal-fired power generation while potentially cheaper, would be environmentally unacceptable, and potentially vulnerable from a security of supply standpoint.

And finally, that the deployment of renewable and other alternative energy supplies, while desirable, would only be able to supply approximately 6-7 per cent of the required electricity generation capacity by 2020.

Focus on safety

ENEC is in the process of developing and implementing a strategy for the management of all nuclear fuel cycle activities including the procurement, use, and short and long term management of nuclear fuel for its nuclear power plants — the first of which is scheduled to come on line in 2017.

The strategy conforms to guidelines established by the International Atomic Energy Agency and will be continually updated, taking into account new information and technological advances from the nuclear industry during the next decades before long-term spent fuel management plan is necessary.

The UAE's comprehensive approach to nuclear energy is detailed in the Policy of the UAE on the Evaluation and Potential Development of Peaceful Nuclear Energy, a document released in April 2008. One of the main pillars of the policy is the decision to develop the programme with safety and non-proliferation as its foundation, and to forgo domestic enrichment and reprocessing of nuclear fuel, the two parts of the nuclear fuel cycle that can most readily be used for non-peaceful purposes.