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Seoul: The United Arab Emirates (UAE) seeks to broaden cooperation with South Korea in areas such as energy regulation, small modular reactors and artificial intelligence (AI), building on the success of the Barakah project, the head of its nuclear regulatory authority has said.

Federal Authority for Nuclear Regulation (FANR) Director General Christer Viktorsson made the remark in a recent interview with Yonhap News Agency, noting experiences brought by South Korean partners “have been valuable to the success of the Barakah project.”

FANR is the regulatory body for the nuclear energy sector in the UAE, implementing safety, security and radiation protection programs for the area, reports Yonhap news agency. Last year, South Korea completed the construction of four nuclear reactors in Barakah, located 270 kilometers west of Abu Dhabi, after winning the project in 2009.

Currently, all four units are successfully operating, being responsible for up to 25 percent of the UAE’s energy demand.

“I would say that this cooperation between the two countries has been very successful in this program and it is now a role model for other nuclear newcomer countries,” Viktorsson said in the interview held virtually Wednesday.

“The strengths of the Korean program is that you have long experience. You have continuously operated nuclear power plants during many, many years,” Viktorsson said, noting the Asian partner’s experience of building nuclear plants at home offered opportunities to learn for the UAE.

The FANR chief stressed that South Korean counterparts have “greatly supported” his organisation’s capacity programs, including the training of experts, since its foundation.

Going forward, Viktorsson said the UAE is open to closer cooperation with South Korea in the AI sector for nuclear regulation, which, according to him, can contribute to safer operations of plants through real-time monitoring, predictive maintenance and anomaly detection.

“AI-driven tools can enhance simulation and training, support faster decision-making during incidents and improve communication systems to ensure timely and effective responses,” Viktorsson said.

Other areas in which the UAE wishes to expand global cooperation include the small modular reactor (SMR) industry, which, he said, is considered “solutions for energy demand,” and other major industries, such as manufacturing, water desalination, heating and others.