July 31, 2024

On July 30, 2024, a delegation led by Mr. Christer Viktorsson, Director General of the Federal Authority for Nuclear Regulation (FANR) of the United Arab Emirates (UAE) visited the Nuclear and Radiation Safety Center. Mr. Yan Tianwen, Director General of the NSC, warmly welcomed the delegation and accompanied them on a tour of key facilities of the National R&D Center for Nuclear and Radiation Safety Regulatory Technology. 

During the visit, Mr. Yan Tianwen outlined the evolution of China’s nuclear safety regulatory framework. Over four decades of development, China has established an internationally aligned nuclear safety regulatory system through global collaboration, steadily enhancing its regulatory workforce and technical capabilities. As the sole official technical support organization for the National Nuclear Safety Administration (NNSA), the  NSC has achieved significant progress in areas such as technical reviews, capacity building, and regulatory technology innovation. With the operational launch of facilities such as the Nuclear and Radiation Emergency Command Center, HPR1000 simulator, Big Data Center, key laboratories for nuclear safety simulation analysis, thermal-hydraulics, post-processing facility risk assessment, materials corrosion testing, risk management, and radiation monitoring, the R&D Center has pioneered advanced regulatory methodologies. These include probabilistic safety analysis, codes verification and calculation, as well as digital technologies, providing robust technical support to elevate the effectiveness of China’s nuclear safety governance. 

Mr. Viktorsson highlighted the UAE‘s reliance on international cooperation for its nuclear regulatory development. He noted that during the initial phase of the Barakah Nuclear Power Plant project, the UAE collaborated extensively with global technical institutions to secure expertise. With new nuclear projects under consideration, the UAE aims to expand international partnerships. As a young regulatory body that has benefited from global cooperation, FANR expressed interest in practical collaboration with the base in areas such as regulatory standard harmonization, safety analysis software applications, personnel exchanges, and innovative solutions to regulatory challenges. These initiatives could be incorporated into the action plan to be signed between NNSA and FANR by year-end. 

Following the tour, Deputy Chief Engineer Ms. Pan Rong provided a comprehensive overview of the NSC, emphasizing its technical review support, R&D expertise, training programs for Pakistan’s HPR1000 project, and internationally recognized training curricula. 

After concluding their visit to the NSC, the UAE delegation will go for on-site visit to the Fuqing Nuclear Power Plant and Shanghai Electric Group Company.