ABU DHABI // The Emirates Nuclear Energy Corporation (Enec) has requested changes to its limited construction licence to do preparatory excavations for nuclear reactor buildings it plans to build in Al Gharbia.
The US$20 billion (Dh73.46bn) plan to build four reactors in Braka is awaiting approval from the Federal Authority for Nuclear Regulation (Fanr), which is reviewing the 9,000-page construction application that Enec submitted in December.
If approved, the project is scheduled to be operational by 2017 and would make the UAE the first Arab nation to produce nuclear energy.
Fanr approved a limited construction licence in July 2010 for preparatory groundwork.
"We understand that they want to gain more time, and we do want to meet their schedule, but we have a responsibility to ensure safety and assess every aspect of these applications," said Ayhan Evrensel, a spokesman for Fanr.
Enec is requesting approval to create a smooth flat surface at the bottom of the excavation so that it can pour concrete into the foundation as soon as it gets approval. It is also asking for permission to place reinforced steel and embedded piping. Enec is currently not authorised to pour concrete until it is granted a construction licence.
Fanr officials have said the agency aims to complete the review of the licensing application by the middle of next year. Part of that review will include an assessment of Enec's plans to prevent a nuclear disaster - plans which the agency requested after an earthquake and tsunami crippled Japan's Fukushima plant earlier this year.
The nuclear authority is also assessing whether the plans are in line with the International Atomic Energy Agency, the global nuclear watchdog based in Vienna. The UAE has signed the agency's Convention on Nuclear Safety, an agreement that obliges countries to adhere to certain safety and emergency preparedness standards but lacks penalties for those that violate them.
