UAE: FANR announces its project for enhancing Safety of Nuclear Facilities against Climate Change during COP28

UAE: FANR announces its project for enhancing Safety of Nuclear Facilities against Climate Change during COP28

ABU DHABI - The Federal Authority for Nuclear Regulation (FANR), in coordination with the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA), hosted the “Climate Change Challenges to the Safety of Nuclear Installations” session during the 28th UN Climate Change Conference (COP28), taking place in Dubai from 30th November until 12th December.

During the session, FANR’s Director of Nuclear Safety, Sara Al Saadi, delivered a presentation regarding its Transformational Project titled “Integrated Operational Nuclear Safety (IONS)”, whose aim is to ensure the development of infrastructure that will bolster the safety and resiliency of nuclear facilities against the negative effects of climate change.

The IONS will be an environmental and climate monitoring system that will offer real-time operational status of the Barakah Nuclear Power Plant, monitoring of sea levels and temperatures in the Arabian Gulf waters, and integration with the IAEA’s Event Notification System, and will be supported by AI-driven analytics.

The project seeks to enhance nuclear safety in the face of climate change by leveraging predictive tools, to be developed in coordination with the Mohammed bin Rashid Space Centre (MBRSC), to monitor potential climatic and environmental threats. FANR also outlined the need for coordination with national and international entities, such as the IAEA,