Canadian Nuclear Laboratories (CNL), Canada’s premier nuclear science and technology laboratory, and the Federal Authority for Nuclear Regulation (FANR), the independent nuclear regulatory body for the United Arab Emirates (UAE), are pleased to announce that they have signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) to cooperate on nuclear science and technology. The agreement comes on the heels of the COP28 U.N. Climate Change Conference in Dubai, where 22 countries – including Canada and the UAE – launched the Declaration to Triple Nuclear Energy Capacity by 2050, recognizing the key role that nuclear energy plays in achieving global net-zero greenhouse gas emissions.
The MOU also formalizes what has been a growing relationship between Canada and the UAE, which has included a CNL visit to the UAE last January, and a reciprocal visit by FANR and the Emirate Nuclear Energy Corporation (ENEC) last summer to the Chalk River Laboratories campus in Ontario. With the new agreement in place, the organizations are poised to collaborate across a wide range of nuclear fields to pursue economic development, reduce emissions, and advance innovative technologies related to public health, waste management and environmental sciences.
“Canada and the UAE have a shared belief in the significant role that nuclear science and technology can play in cultivating a more peaceful, healthy, and prosperous future,” commented Jack Craig, CNL’s new President and CEO. “This agreement is the culmination of a series of engagements between our like-minded organizations and will allow CNL to share our extensive resources and knowledge with the UAE, providing support to an emerging nuclear nation, while learning from a country known for its ambition and innovation. We hope that this is just the beginning of our relationship and serves as the first step towards deeper and more meaningful collaborations in the future.”
“This partnership signifies a crucial step forward in our commitment to harnessing nuclear science and technology for sustainable development of the nuclear and radiation sector in the UAE. By combining our regulatory expertise with CNL’s advanced research infrastructure, we hope to be at the forefront of developing the UAE’s capabilities in radiation applications, environmental protection, and radioactive waste management, in addition to developing regulatory frameworks for advanced nuclear technologies,” said FANR’s Director-General Christer Viktorsson.
As part of the MOU, the organizations have identified a list of focus areas that interests both parties and leverages their unique strengths, including small modular reactors, hydrogen sciences, medical isotopes, radioactive waste management, environmental monitoring and border detection capabilities, among others. The agreement also establishes opportunities for cooperation that will be considered as the relationship moves forward, such as the delivery of joint research projects and programs, the sharing of scientists, engineers and other professionals, the exchange of scientific and technical information, the observation of and participation in research studies, the organization of seminars and meetings, and site visits by each party’s personnel.
The agreement continues the UAE’s momentum in the adoption of nuclear energy and the exploration of other nuclear applications to address its domestic needs. In recent years, as part of an effort to diversify its energy mix, the UAE began operation of the Barakah Nuclear Power Plant (NPP), the very first nuclear station in the UAE and the Arab world. As the UAE seeks to further advance its nuclear program, it will have access to a wide range of nuclear products and services available at the Chalk River Laboratories, which serves as Canada’s national nuclear research laboratories. The campus is home to a wide range of advanced nuclear facilities, including laboratories dedicated to advanced reactor research, nuclear fuel development and testing, health sciences, analytical chemistry, thermalhydraulics and mechanical testing, among others.
“I think this MOU comes at the perfect time for Canada and the UAE, as both countries look to harness the many benefits that comes from nuclear science and technology for their own applications, whether it is in clean energy, public health, environmental protection or national security,” added Craig. “That is the driving force behind this agreement, and I think our complementary capabilities will help push both nuclear programs forward towards new heights.”
