UAE eyes closer ties with Korea beyond Barakah nuclear plant: FANR chief
Federal Authority for Nuclear Regulation (FANR) Director General Christer Viktorsson speaks during a virtual interview with Yonhap News Agency at his office in Abu Dhabi, the United Arab Emirates, Wednesday. Courtesy of the Federal Authority for Nuclear Regulation
The United Arab Emirates (UAE) seeks to broaden cooperation with Korea in areas such as energy regulation, small modular reactors and artificial intelligence (AI), building on the success of the Barakah project, the head of its nuclear regulatory authority has said.
Federal Authority for Nuclear Regulation (FANR) Director General Christer Viktorsson made the remark in a recent interview with Yonhap News Agency, noting experiences brought by Korean partners "have been valuable to the success of the Barakah project."
FANR is the regulatory body for the nuclear energy sector in the UAE, implementing safety, security and radiation protection programs for the area.
Last year, Korea completed the construction of four nuclear reactors in Barakah, located 270 kilometers west of Abu Dhabi, after winning the project in 2009. Currently, all four units are successfully operating, being responsible for up to 25 percent of the UAE's energy demand.
"I would say that this cooperation between the two countries has been very successful in this program and it is now a role model for other nuclear newcomer countries," Viktorsson said in the interview held virtually Wednesday.
"The strengths of the Korean program is that you have long experience. You have continuously operated nuclear power plants during many, many years," Viktorsson said, noting the Asian partner's experience of building nuclear plants at home offered opportunities to learn for the UAE.
The FANR chief stressed that Korean counterparts have "greatly supported" his organization's capacity programs, including the training of experts, since its foundation.
Going forward, Viktorsson said the UAE is open to closer cooperation with Korea in the AI sector for nuclear regulation, which, according to him, can contribute to safer operations of plants through real-time monitoring, predictive maintenance and anomaly detection.
"AI-driven tools can enhance simulation and training, support faster decision-making during incidents and improve communication systems to ensure timely and effective responses," Viktorsson said.
Other areas in which the UAE wishes to expand global cooperation include the small modular reactor (SMR) industry, which, he said, is considered "solutions for energy demand," and other major industries, such as manufacturing, water desalination, heating and others.
The Barakah nuclear power plant in the United Arab Emirates / Korea Electric Power Corp.
"We must be ready if the government wants to build an SMR anywhere in the UAE. FANR is there to regulate it. This is very, very important that we can cooperate with advanced countries like your country, like Korea, in developing such regulation for technologies like this," he said.
The nuclear physicist, meanwhile, declined to comment on the recent financial losses reported by Korea Electric Power Corp. (KEPCO) due to a four-year delay in the completion of the Barakah project, although he expressed hopes for the involved parties to reach a solution.
"We are aware of this issue. However, as a regulator, such issues are usually addressed by the licensees," he said, without elaborating further.
The latest first-half financial report released by KEPCO showed the company has reported an accumulated loss of 34.9 billion won ($25.1 million) due to the delay.
"The concrete cooperation that we have developed with you (Korea) is unique, and we have developed a different, unique model that the IAEA (International Atomic Energy Agency) is now using to share with other countries that this is the way to do it," he said.
"We have built this power plant safe. We have regulated it safe, and it continues delivering clean energy to the UAE population and industry."