The UAE Nuclear Energy Policy
In April 2008, the UAE released its Policy on 'The Evaluation and Potential Development of Peaceful Nuclear Energy'. This policy is built on the most exacting standards of safety, transparency and security, making the country a role model for nuclear energy development worldwide.
The policy emphasizes six key principles:
- Complete operational transparency
- The highest standards of non-proliferation
- The highest standards of safety and security
- Working directly with the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) and conforming to its standards
- Partnerships with responsible nations and appropriate experts
- Long-term sustainability
One of the main pillars of the policy is the commitment to develop the program 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.
This policy establishes a new model through which non-nuclear states may explore and potentially develop a peaceful nuclear energy program with the full support and confidence of the international community.
In 2009, the UAE issued its nuclear energy law, which commits the nation to the most exacting standards of safety, transparency and security.
What are the three biggest myths in nuclear energy?
01
Radiation is man made
Radiation is energy in motion. There are many natural sources of radiation that we live with safely every day such as cosmic radiation from the sun.
02
Nuclear reactors can explode like bombs
It is not possible for a nuclear energy plant to explode like a bomb, these plants are designed to produce electricity safely and reliably.
03
It's not safe to be near a nuclear energy plant
If you stood at the site boundary for a whole year, you would receive less than a quarter of the radiation from a chest x-ray.