FANR Board of Management reviews first-quarter performance

The UAE’s Federal Authority for Nuclear Regulation (FANR) Board of Management held its second meeting of 2016 today to assess FANR’s performance so far this year and to provide guidance for upcoming FANR projects and activities.

Led by Board Chairman Abdulla Nasser Al Suwaidi, the Board meeting discussed FANR’s accomplishments in the first quarter of 2016, including the opening of an office in Dubai to provide more convenient access to FANR licensees; the initiation of FANR’s E-Licensing service, intended to improve its interactions with entities conducting nuclear- and radiation-related activities in the UAE, and FANR’s stakeholder outreach programme. They also reviewed a recent five-year external audit report and financial statement.

In addition, FANR senior management officials briefed the Board on their work to review the Operating License Application for Units 1 and 2 at the Barakah Nuclear Power Plant, now under construction in the Western Region of Abu Dhabi.

Looking forward, the Board discussed FANR budgetary requirements and the efforts to enhance FANR’s staff recruitment and promotion strategies. It also reviewed plans to establish a laboratory that would enable FANR to conduct independent radiological assessments of environmental samples collected in the UAE and received updates on the UAE’s Radiation Protection Committee which met most recently in February to address medical and radioactive source issues.

The Board also discussed the February meeting of the International Advisory Group, a set of nuclear experts that provide independent and impartial advice related to nuclear safety, security and non-proliferation.

The Board also received FANR updates on a number of issues related to the Barakah Nuclear Power Plant, including the findings of national emergency exercise earlier this year and FANR’s programme to oversee the training of the power plant operators.

Board members recognised the 16 staff members who recently completed coursework at the Gulf Nuclear Energy Infrastructure Institute (GNEII) at Khalifa University. At a GNEII Symposium earlier in April, two groups of FANR students were honored to have their research projects selected as the best of this year’s GNEII class.