Opinion | Editorials
A clean source for future energy needs
UAE's peaceful nuclear programme adopts a policy of full disclosure and transparency.
- Gulf News
- Published: 23:40 April 21, 2008
Experts in the field are predicting that nuclear energy will be setting the future of energy usage. The UAE Government's opting for the establishment of a nuclear programme for peaceful purposes is a measure that is forward-looking and one that would characterise the use of energy in the country.
With the setting up of the Nuclear Energy Programme Implementation Organisation, the use of nuclear energy is assured to be on par with the regulations of the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA).
The country identified nuclear energy as a viable economic and environmentally friendly option that would be beneficial for its long-term developmental process.
"We recognise that this growth will require continued access to affordable energy, and for this reason the UAE has begun to evaluate the potential contribution to peaceful nuclear energy to its future domestic energy mix," said Foreign Minister Shaikh Abdullah Bin Zayed Al Nahyan.
This pre-planning process is surely a welcome step given that the UAE's economic growth is proceeding at a rapid pace. The local energy requirements are expected to grow by more than 160 per cent by 2020. The policy of diversifying energy sources is a step that compliments other future development plans.
To take on nuclear energy as a source for future sustenance has been on the agenda not only for the UAE but also for other Gulf Cooperation Council countries. Hence, it is important that safety measures are ensured and that its application is presented throughout the various stages involved from the set up phase to that of the actual operational level.
What makes the UAE's approach to the use of peaceful nuclear energy - which hopefully other countries will follow as well - is that it adopted a policy of full disclosure and transparency with the international community.
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