Dubai – Mubasher: The company which will operate the UAE’s first nuclear reactor, which is anticipated to start operation this year, is not ready to get its operating licence yet, Federal Authority for Nuclear Regulation (FANR) said.
The FANR has not yet issued an operating licence to Nawah and could not set a date when the firm could get its licence, while the reactor is almost technically ready for operation, director-general of FANR Christer Viktorsson told reporters on Tuesday.
"It is hard to say when they [Nawah] will be ready," Viktorsson answered when asked whether the licence would be issued this year.
FANR has to make sure that the reactor meets the highest technical and safety standards and that all Nawah's crew have been properly trained to manage the reactor under all circumstances and can handle any emergencies before it issues an operating licence.
The total capacity of the four-reactor Barakah nuclear plant amounted to 5,600 megawatts and will generate about a quarter of the UAE's electricity when it is fully operational by 2020.
In September, the UAE said the second and third reactors were 86% and 76% complete, respectively, while the fourth reactor was 54% done.
