After a long absence, Iraq begins the first steps to build its nuclear reactors.

To lay the foundation stone for Iraq’s nuclear energy project, the Ministry of Higher Education and Scientific Research, in cooperation with the Iraqi Atomic Energy Commission, organized a groundbreaking ceremony on Wednesday for the subcritical system and central laboratories project.

In his speech during the ceremony, attended by Shafaq News Agency, Minister of Higher Education and Scientific Research and Chairman of the Atomic Energy Commission, Naeem Al-Aboudi, said, “This project represents a scientific incubator and an integrated strategic environment for developing and adopting research approaches that have a direct impact on enhancing the quality of scientific research. These laboratories are designed according to the latest international standards.”

He added, “The central laboratories provide students and researchers in various disciplines with a broad space for innovation and the development of scientific skills. These laboratories will become a scientific competitor to their counterparts in the region and a pillar that enables Iraq to have an active presence in the production and application of knowledge.”

He pointed out that “at the forefront of these laboratories, the foundation stone of which was laid today, is the subcritical system, in cooperation with the Iraqi Atomic Energy Commission, the National Nuclear and Radiological Regulatory Authority of China, and the International Atomic Energy Agency, in addition to the participation of international experts.”

Al-Aboudi continued, “By embarking on this strategic path, the Ministry of Higher Education is laying the foundation for a promising scientific future that paves the way for students and researchers and gives them the opportunity to participate in nuclear experiments that pave the way for the peaceful use of nuclear energy.”

Commenting on this, Ministry of Higher Education spokesperson Haider Al-Aboudi said, “The Under Critical System is one of the most important central laboratories at the Ministry of Higher Education and Global Research, and will provide significant momentum to researchers and graduate students working in the field of global publishing.” He noted that “the number of scientific research papers published in the containers has reached more than 188,000 specialized scientific papers.”

Al-Aboudi added to Shafaq News Agency, “The ministry has identified the urgent need for researchers to provide central laboratories that will spare them the trouble of traveling to universities around the world to review their research and analyze their samples.” He noted that “Iraqi laboratories will undertake this task, providing momentum that will accelerate the pace of scientific research and global publication.”

Since 1991, Iraq’s nuclear program has been halted, following Security Council Resolution 687 of the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) to uncover and dismantle Iraq’s nuclear weapons program and ensure its compliance with the Nuclear Non-Proliferation Treaty through monitoring and inspection teams conducted by UN inspection teams during their tours of Iraqi facilities and universities.

For his part, nuclear scientist Hamid Al-Bahli asserts that “the project is a subcritical system, meaning that the project has not yet reached the critical state that would transform the system into a nuclear reactor.”

Al-Bahli added to Shafaq News Agency, “Prime Minister Mohammed Shia al-Sudani formed a committee in June of last year to establish nuclear power plants to generate electricity with the aim of producing thousands of megawatts of energy,” indicating that “a single plant produces the equivalent of 5,000 megawatts and requires more than 1,500 people to operate it.”

He explains that “the number of these operators abroad costs huge sums of money, reaching approximately one million dollars per person, to operate power units and nuclear reactors used for peaceful purposes.”

He notes that “the lack of nuclear energy in Iraq causes the country to lose $5 billion annually, because this energy is used in medical, agricultural, industrial, oil, and other fields.”

The nuclear scientist points out that “building nuclear reactors in Iraq requires an estimated two years, and that work on them began with the establishment of the subcritical system of the Atomic Energy Agency, which was attached to the Ministry of Higher Education to prepare the human resources for it.”

Al-Bahli draws attention to the importance of “producing radioactive isotopes for use in the medical field and treating cancerous tumors, which have worsened as a result of the absence of nuclear energy in Iraq since 1991 and the lack of radioactive isotopes for treating cancerous diseases.”

According to the nuclear scientist, “The subcritical system contributes to the production of improved, climate-resistant seeds for use in developing the agricultural sector.”

He asserts that “the subcritical system is the first step toward establishing nuclear reactors and contributes to advancing scientific studies and research at Iraqi universities, which were suspended from nuclear activity following the issuance of UN Security Council resolutions banning nuclear activity in Iraq.”

He continued, “Prime Minister Mohammed Shia al-Sudani’s meeting with the Director General of the International Atomic Energy Agency in Baghdad, and the discussions held by a delegation from the National Atomic Energy Commission in Vienna with the Director and members of the IAEA, have shaped the IAEA’s conviction about the transparency with which Baghdad operates, and confirmed its readiness to cooperate with Iraq in the field of nuclear energy.”

For his part, Russian Ambassador to Baghdad Elbrus Kotrashev, who attended the groundbreaking ceremony for the critical system project, believes that this project reflects “the Iraqi government’s interest in establishing important strategic projects.”

Speaking to Shafaq News Agency, the Russian ambassador indicated that “the Iraqi government is no longer concerned with daily issues alone, but is thinking beyond that, adopting vital future projects.”

In conclusion, the ambassador described the critical system as “an important strategic project for Iraq’s economy, its future, and the building of the state in general,” emphasizing his country’s “support for Iraq’s efforts to establish such projects, by providing all forms of support to the Iraqi government and people.”

Shafaq.com