Sheikh Khalifa bin Zayed al-Nahyan, President of the UAE, has issued a new law covering the peaceful uses of nuclear energy on 4 October, the official WAM news agency reported.

The law established the Federal Authority for Nuclear Regulation, which will oversee the nuclear energy sector. In conjunction with the law, the Cabinet passed a resolution appointing the members of the board of the new body with Ahmed al-Mazroui as its chairman.

In one its first decisions, the board appointed William Travers as the director general of the organisation. Travers previously held the position of senior technical adviser to the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) and executive director of operations at the Nuclear Regulatory Commission in the US.

The new legislation also prohibits uranium enrichment and gives the federal authority the power to punish anyone who breaks it.