Dedicated to the highest levels of nuclear safety

FANR is the nuclear regulatory body responsible for regulating the design, siting, construction, operation and decommissioning of all nuclear facilities in the UAE, including nuclear power plants.

Our role is clearly differentiated from that of the operator, who is in charge of running and operating the nuclear power plant or facility. The final responsibility for safety rests with the operator of the facility.

Our responsibilities within the area of nuclear safety extend to regulations and guides, licences, safety assessment, inspections and enforcement.

Regulations and Guides

One of our main responsibilities is to develop a nuclear regulatory framework for the construction, operation and decommissioning of nuclear power plants in the UAE, which is in line with the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) Safety Standards and internationally recognised regulatory practices.

At FANR we create regulations to establish requirements with which all operators must comply. We also develop regulatory guides as a means of providing detailed and specific information on acceptable approaches to satisfying the requirements established in these regulations.

Licences for Nuclear Power Plants

Federal Law by Decree No 6 of 2009, Concerning the Peaceful uses of Nuclear Energy (otherwise known as the UAE Nuclear Law) requires that only holders of a FANR licence carry out regulated activities.

All licences are facility-specific, which means that for each facility the operator must have the relevant licence(s). It is the responsibility of the operator to apply for all licences, and it is our responsibility at FANR to carefully assess the operator's application in terms of safety, security and safeguards.

The operator will be able to start the activity only upon FANR's approval of the application and issuance of a licence. And before any nuclear power plant operating activity begins, including fuel loading into the nuclear reactor, an operating licence must be granted by FANR.

Safety Assessment

Safety of the construction and operation of a nuclear power plant is of the highest importance for FANR. Before any licence is granted, the applicant is required to submit documents that give a detailed demonstration of the safety and security of the facility, addressing the siting, design, construction and operational aspects of the plant.

We carry out an in-depth review and assessment of these submissions and will only grant a licence only when we are satisfied that the applicant's proposals and commitments comply with our stringent safety requirements.​

Inspection and Enforcement

FANR implements an inspection programme in relation to all regulated activities to ensure that the licensees complies with the applicable law and regulations and any conditions set out in the licence requirements.