The Fukushima disaster and a recent cover-up at a nuclear plant in South Korea could have cast a shadow over the UAE's nuclear energy programme.
Instead, both incidents are giving Abu Dhabi a chance to bolster safety standards and guard against surprise occurrences - black swan events - five years before its first reactor is scheduled to go online.
"That's the thing about nuclear safety," said Hamad Al Kaabi, the UAE's permanent representative to the International Atomic Energy Agency, the United Nations atomic watchdog. "It's something that's always being improved and developed."
Safety has long been a watchword in the nuclear industry, and it has become even more important since the nuclear emergency in Japan last year and the incident in South Korea.
The UAE's programme - which is putting tremendous capital and manpower into building the Arab world's first nuclear plant - stands in contrast to that of nations such as Germany and Italy, which have abandoned their nuclear plans or are accelerating the decommissioning of nuclear plants. Abu Dhabi's desire to press ahead with its programme is more comparable to nations such as India and China, where pressing energy needs are driving plans to build new capacity as quickly as possible.
Only five years ago, the Emirates announced through a landmark policy paper its plans to develop atomic power.
Today, multiple new institutions are working in concert, thousands of foreigners have moved in to the remote coastal site selected for the reactors, and concrete for the first reactor building is scheduled to be poured in July, pending regulatory approval. By 2020, four reactors purchased from a South Korean consortium for US$20.4 billion (Dh74.86bn) are expected to be producing as much as a quarter of Abu Dhabi's power.
At the programme's beginning, Abu Dhabi's desire to join the elite group of powers producing nuclear energy was part of a global renaissance in the nuclear industry a quarter century after the explosion at Ukraine's Chernobyl plant.
That renaissance is now under question in some established nuclear nations, although not in emerging economies. On March 11 last year, an undersea earthquake generated a tsunami that crippled Japan's Fukushima Dai-ichi plant, releasing radiation and raising public concerns worldwide about the safety of a technology that nuclear advocates promote as a clean alternative to polluting fossil fuels.
"There are some additional safety measures that could be implemented to address the discussion internationally on these issues," said Mr Al Kaabi. "These are really not major design changes."
This year, power to the cooling systems at Korea's oldest reactor failed during a routine form of shutdown. The operating company, Korea Hydro & Nuclear Power (KHNP), was able to restore power after 12 minutes but failed to report the accident and, according to an investigation, destroyed some records, raising red flags about safety culture and transparency.
South Korea is the UAE's chosen partner in its nuclear programme.The operator of Kori 1, the reactor that suffered the cooling system malfunction, is to operate the UAE's plant with Emirates Nuclear Energy Corporation.
This week, it emerged that an emergency diesel generator at another South Korean plant had malfunctioned and that the incident had not been immediately reported by KHNP, the operator. Kim Jong-shin, the company's chief executive, resigned on Tuesday.
"With any incident of that nature, of course there is more awareness of the importance of the culture of safety," said Mr Al Kaabi. "Our policy from the very beginning stated that the UAE will be committed to the high standards of safety - the high standard of safety not only to adopt the safest design, safest plant, but also to focus on developing a culture of safety among workers, among entities, among all the relevant stakeholders."
The UAE has been in consultation with South Korea on the matter, he said.
"The unique thing about the nuclear industry is that culture of safety is for much higher standards than other industries in general," said Mr Al Kaabi. "Even if it's a very, very low risk, you still have to assume that it will happen and [anticipate] how the plant will react to that."
Other nations in the region have also laid out plans to develop nuclear power. Jordan, which relies on imports for more than 90 per cent of its energy, has put out a tender for one reactor, although financing is expected to be more difficult. Saudi officials have said the kingdom might build as many as 16 reactors but have not laid out a formal plan.
"The UAE is unique in terms of the approach it's taken, but also that's it's a newcomer to nuclear energy that is actually making real, complete progress on the programme," said Mr Al Kaabi.
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COMPANY%20PROFILE
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Most F1 world titles
7 — Michael Schumacher (1994, ’95, 2000, ’01 ’02, ’03, ’04)
7 — Lewis Hamilton (2008, ’14,’15, ’17, ’18, ’19, ’20)
5 — Juan Manuel Fangio (1951, ’54, ’55, ’56, ’57)
4 — Alain Prost (1985, ’86, ’89, ’93)
4 — Sebastian Vettel (2010, ’11, ’12, ’13)
Scoreline
Australia 2-1 Thailand
Australia: Juric 69', Leckie 86'
Thailand: Pokklaw 82'
The bio
Favourite book: Peter Rabbit. I used to read it to my three children and still read it myself. If I am feeling down it brings back good memories.
Best thing about your job: Getting to help people. My mum always told me never to pass up an opportunity to do a good deed.
Best part of life in the UAE: The weather. The constant sunshine is amazing and there is always something to do, you have so many options when it comes to how to spend your day.
Favourite holiday destination: Malaysia. I went there for my honeymoon and ended up volunteering to teach local children for a few hours each day. It is such a special place and I plan to retire there one day.
Specs
Engine: Dual-motor all-wheel-drive electric
Range: Up to 610km
Power: 905hp
Torque: 985Nm
Price: From Dh439,000
Available: Now
Killing of Qassem Suleimani
2025 Fifa Club World Cup groups
Group A: Palmeiras, Porto, Al Ahly, Inter Miami.
Group B: Paris Saint-Germain, Atletico Madrid, Botafogo, Seattle.
Group C: Bayern Munich, Auckland City, Boca Juniors, Benfica.
Group D: Flamengo, ES Tunis, Chelsea, (Leon banned).
Group E: River Plate, Urawa, Monterrey, Inter Milan.
Group F: Fluminense, Borussia Dortmund, Ulsan, Mamelodi Sundowns.
Group G: Manchester City, Wydad, Al Ain, Juventus.
Group H: Real Madrid, Al Hilal, Pachuca, Salzburg.
A MINECRAFT MOVIE
Director: Jared Hess
Starring: Jack Black, Jennifer Coolidge, Jason Momoa
Rating: 3/5
Formula Middle East Calendar (Formula Regional and Formula 4)
Round 1: January 17-19, Yas Marina Circuit – Abu Dhabi
Round 2: January 22-23, Yas Marina Circuit – Abu Dhabi
Round 3: February 7-9, Dubai Autodrome – Dubai
Round 4: February 14-16, Yas Marina Circuit – Abu Dhabi
Round 5: February 25-27, Jeddah Corniche Circuit – Saudi Arabia
Expert advice
“Join in with a group like Cycle Safe Dubai or TrainYAS, where you’ll meet like-minded people and always have support on hand.”
Stewart Howison, co-founder of Cycle Safe Dubai and owner of Revolution Cycles
“When you sweat a lot, you lose a lot of salt and other electrolytes from your body. If your electrolytes drop enough, you will be at risk of cramping. To prevent salt deficiency, simply add an electrolyte mix to your water.”
Cornelia Gloor, head of RAK Hospital’s Rehabilitation and Physiotherapy Centre
“Don’t make the mistake of thinking you can ride as fast or as far during the summer as you do in cooler weather. The heat will make you expend more energy to maintain a speed that might normally be comfortable, so pace yourself when riding during the hotter parts of the day.”
Chandrashekar Nandi, physiotherapist at Burjeel Hospital in Dubai
The rules on fostering in the UAE
A foster couple or family must:
- be Muslim, Emirati and be residing in the UAE
- not be younger than 25 years old
- not have been convicted of offences or crimes involving moral turpitude
- be free of infectious diseases or psychological and mental disorders
- have the ability to support its members and the foster child financially
- undertake to treat and raise the child in a proper manner and take care of his or her health and well-being
- A single, divorced or widowed Muslim Emirati female, residing in the UAE may apply to foster a child if she is at least 30 years old and able to support the child financially
At a glance
Global events: Much of the UK’s economic woes were blamed on “increased global uncertainty”, which can be interpreted as the economic impact of the Ukraine war and the uncertainty over Donald Trump’s tariffs.
Growth forecasts: Cut for 2025 from 2 per cent to 1 per cent. The OBR watchdog also estimated inflation will average 3.2 per cent this year
Welfare: Universal credit health element cut by 50 per cent and frozen for new claimants, building on cuts to the disability and incapacity bill set out earlier this month
Spending cuts: Overall day-to day-spending across government cut by £6.1bn in 2029-30
Tax evasion: Steps to crack down on tax evasion to raise “£6.5bn per year” for the public purse
Defence: New high-tech weaponry, upgrading HM Naval Base in Portsmouth
Housing: Housebuilding to reach its highest in 40 years, with planning reforms helping generate an extra £3.4bn for public finances
THE SPECS
Engine: 6.75-litre twin-turbocharged V12 petrol engine
Power: 420kW
Torque: 780Nm
Transmission: 8-speed automatic
Price: From Dh1,350,000
On sale: Available for preorder now
Director: Laxman Utekar
Cast: Vicky Kaushal, Akshaye Khanna, Diana Penty, Vineet Kumar Singh, Rashmika Mandanna
Rating: 1/5
Islamic%20Architecture%3A%20A%20World%20History
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The%20Iron%20Claw
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NO OTHER LAND
Director: Basel Adra, Yuval Abraham, Rachel Szor, Hamdan Ballal
Stars: Basel Adra, Yuval Abraham
Rating: 3.5/5
HOW TO WATCH
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Company%20Profile
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COMPANY%20PROFILE
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The biog
Name: Marie Byrne
Nationality: Irish
Favourite film: The Shawshank Redemption
Book: Seagull by Jonathan Livingston
Life lesson: A person is not old until regret takes the place of their dreams
Poacher
%3Cp%3E%3Cstrong%3EDirector%3A%20%3C%2Fstrong%3ERichie%20Mehta%26nbsp%3B%3C%2Fp%3E%0A%3Cp%3E%3Cstrong%3EStarring%3A%3C%2Fstrong%3E%20Nimisha%20Sajayan%2C%20Roshan%20Mathew%2C%20Dibyendu%20Bhattacharya%3C%2Fp%3E%0A%3Cp%3E%3Cstrong%3ERating%3A%20%3C%2Fstrong%3E3%2F5%3C%2Fp%3E%0A
DAY%20ONE%20RESULT
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