Since many Ambassadors have posted their reports on this topic before me, I am focusing less on the details of the Nuclear Waste as already posted by them. I am highlighting the details of Nuclear Energy itself, as also the specific details of the Nuclear Energy plant currently under construction in the UAE and Waste management criteria for the same.

What is Nuclear Energy?

The common definition for nuclear energy is the energy released by a chain reaction, especially by fission or fusion. Practically speaking, nuclear energy uses fuel made from mined and processed uranium to make steam and generate electricity.

Nuclear generation is the only source of electricity that can produce a constant supply of power – known as baseload power—reliably without emitting greenhouse gases.

Nuclear energy has one of the lowest environmental impacts on land and natural resources of any electricity source.

How does it work?

A nuclear reactor produces electricity in much the same way other power plants do. The difference is in how the heat is created. Power plants that run on fossil fuels burn coal, oil or natural gas to generate heat. In a nuclear energy plant, heat is produced from splitting atoms – a process called nuclear fission.

The chain reaction produces the energy, which turns water into steam. The pressure of the steam turns a turbine connected to an electromagnet, called a generator, which produces electricity.

What is the Fuel used?

Uranium

Enriched uranium is the fuel for nuclear reactors. Uranium is an abundant, naturally radioactive element found in most rocks. As uranium breaks down or decays, it produces heat inside the Earth?s crust. A similar process generates heat inside a nuclear reactor.

How is Heat Generated?-

Through Nuclear Fission

Fission is the process of splitting a nucleus in two.

Inside each uranium fuel pellet, there are millions of uranium nuclei. When these nuclei are split, a huge amount of energy is released. Some of this energy is from radiation, but the biggest source is kinetic energy. This is the energy that produces heat inside a reactor, which in turn is used to generate steam, and ultimately creates electricity.

Need of Nuclear power program in the UAE

Traditionally UAE has been producing energy from gas, for which it relies on some imports. Electricity demand is growing strongly with urbanization of the country. Furthermore, UAE relies entirely on electricity to provide its potable water, by desalination.

Increasing demands indicated that natural gas supplies would not suffice. Imported coal too was dismissed as an option due to environmental and energy security implications. As per statistics and estimates it was inferred that these renewable resources would be able to supply only 6-7% of the needed power by 2020.

Thus Nuclear power emerged as a proven, environmentally promising and commercially competitive option which could make a significant base-load contribution to the UAE's economy and future energy security. This led to creation of a regulatory framework and selection of a site between Abu Dhabi city and Ruwais, at Barakah.

Development of Nuclear Power in the UAE

The UAE has embarked upon a nuclear power program in close consultation with the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA), and with huge public support. A South Korean consortium is building four commercial nuclear power reactors at Barakah, expected to be ready by 2020. All four units are now under construction. The first is largely complete and is expected online before the end of 2017.

The Emirates Nuclear Energy Corporation (ENEC) is leading the development of the Peaceful Nuclear Energy Program of UAE and building the country's first nuclear energy plant to provide clean and efficient nuclear energy to the UAE – energy that is needed to support the country's social and economic growth.

Barakah Nuclear Energy Plant

Construction of the nation?s first nuclear energy plant is well underway. Construction of the plant commenced in July 2012, after approval from the Federal Authority for Nuclear Regulation (FANR) and Abu Dhabi?s environmental regulator, the Environment Agency – Abu Dhabi (EAD).

The Barakah Nuclear Energy Plant  is located in the Western Region of the Emirate of Abu Dhabi on the Arabian Gulf, approximately 53 km west-southwest of the city of Ruwais. By 2020, the site will be home to four operating APR1400 nuclear reactors, that will supply up to 25% of the UAE?s electricity needs.

In a Pressurized Water Reactor (PWR) – the type of reactor being built in the UAE – high pressure prevents water in the reactor vessel from boiling. The super-heated water is carried to a steam generator, which is made up of many small pipes. The heat in these pipes is used to turn a second, isolated, supply of water to steam, which is in turn used to drive the turbine. The water from the reactor is pumped back into the reactor vessel and reheated. The steam from the turbine is cooled in a condenser and the resulting water is sent back to the steam generator.

The plant is an important part of the UAE's efforts to diversify its energy sources, and will provide clean and efficient energy, while reducing the country's carbon footprint. When fully operational, the Barakah Nuclear Energy Plant is expected to save the UAE up to 12 million tons of carbon emissions every year.

Safety Concerns

With nuclear power comes the issue of making it safely. Radiation hazards have to be considered at every step, as also handling of Nuclear Waste. Furthermore there are security issues too. The fuel- 'raw or spent' should not get into wrong hands or  misused for terrorist activity.
Nuclear fuel remains dangerously radioactive for thousands of years after it is no longer useful in a commercial reactor. Thus the challenge of making nuclear power safer doesn't end after the power has been generated, and waste disposal remains a major challenge for policymakers.

What is Nuclear waste?

Spent Nuclear Fuel

A nuclear reactor can require more than 200 fuel assemblies. The fuel assemblies are replaced when they no longer produce enough heat. On average, about one-third of a reactor's fuel is exchanged every 12 to 24 months.

Once it?s been removed from a reactor, the fuel is known as used or spent nuclear fuel.

How is Spent Nuclear Fuel managed?

While used fuel no longer produces enough heat to run a nuclear reactor, the fuel assemblies remain hot and emit radiation that has to be contained.

For decades, countries around the world have safely managed spent fuel. This can be done through open or closed fuel cycles.

Open Fuel Cycle

In an open or ?once through? fuel cycle, fuel assemblies are used only one time. The nuclear energy plant temporarily stores the used fuel assemblies on-site while they cool before sending them to an interim or long-term storage facility.

After ?spent? fuel is removed from the reactor, it is moved to a spent fuel pool at the plant, and remains there to cool. These pools are lined with concrete and steel. Used fuel pools keep the fuel under water at all times. Cool water circulates through the pool to remove heat. They take about five years to cool down. The concrete and steel in these pools – and even the water itself – also serve as a barrier from the used fuel?s radiation.

Once the used fuel is removed from these pools, it is stored in special concrete and steel containers called dry casks. These casks can be securely stored on-site at a nuclear energy plant or at an interim or long-term storage facility.

Closed Fuel Cycle

Another method for safely handling spent nuclear fuel is closed fuel cycle. It involves the nuclear energy plant sending its used fuel to a reprocessing facility after cooling it on-site. During reprocessing, uranium is recycled into fresh fuel. With current technology, the recycling of used fuel can occur only once.  Reprocessing is undertaken by multiple countries around the world, including France, Japan and Russia.

As part of the UAE?s commitment to non-proliferation and a peaceful nuclear energy program, the reprocessing of used fuel assemblies is not permitted and will not be pursued.

All methods for storing, reprocessing and transporting spent nuclear fuel are undertaken in strict accordance with best practices and guidelines developed by regulatory agencies around the world and the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA).

While the fuel only needs three to five years to cool, UAE has designed its facility with much higher parameters. The spent fuel pool at the Barakah Nuclear Energy Plant will be able to store 20 years? worth of spent fuel before it is moved to a longer-term storage facility.

Policy of UAE with respect to Nuclear Wastes

The government of the UAE is currently developing the federal policy for long-term storage and waste management. ENEC will ensure that the disposal of solid radioactive waste will be completed in strict accordance with the UAE law, the regulations of FANR and the guidelines of the IAEA.

The UAE is committed to a 'dual track' radioactive waste management strategy that involves developing a national storage and disposal programme in parallel with exploring regional cooperation options, notably with the GCC. Used fuel will be stored in reactor ponds for up to 20 years, or may be transferred to dry storage after six years. Ownership and responsibility for the used fuel will be transferred to a new state-owned entity after about 20 years.

Plan for Spent Fuel Management in the UAE

As of today, the UAE plans to store used nuclear fuel from the Barakah Energy Plant on site while it cools. When the used fuel is cool enough, it will be moved to dry casks for long-term storage. The site for dry cask storage at the Barakah plant has undergone several years of study and investigation to prove its suitability. Once ready, it will be licensed by the Federal Authority for Nuclear Regulation (FANR) before it can become operational.

References
https://www.enec.gov.ae/

http://www.world-nuclear.org/information-library/country-profiles/countries-t-z/united-arab-emirates.aspx#ECSArticleLink3

http://www.uaeinteract.com/news/default3.asp?ID=380

Barakah Nuclear Power Plant Under Construction
Image Credits:https://www.enec.gov.ae/barakah-npp/