Opinion | Editorials
UAE committed to nuclear transparency
The country is ready to work with IAEA on sourcing uranium fuel.
- Gulf News
- Published: 23:12 August 25, 2008
The United Arab Emirates is committed to developing peaceful nuclear power and to working transparently with the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) to make this happen. The country's commitment to developing world standard best practices in this delicate area of international debate distinguishes the emirates' efforts from most of the rest of the world's nations, as all too many rush to develop nuclear power in a unilateral manner.
As a significant start, the UAE has contributed $10 million to help fund a dedicated low-enriched uranium stockpile to be owned and administered by the IAEA. It has always been an important part of the UAE's nuclear plans that it will use fuel provided by such an international body, which will also take the spent fuel away. Working with the IAEA to this degree will enforce complete transparency as was promised at the start of the UAE's nuclear plans, when Foreign Minister Shaikh Abdullah Bin Zayed Al Nahyan said that the UAE might become a model for other nations in how to run nuclear programmes.
The UAE's drive to nuclear power is driven by the fact that in the long term, there will not be enough gas in the country to run generators and desalination plants that will produce the power and water to service the increasing population.
Developing nuclear power will not stop the UAE from developing renewable power sources, even though these new energy sources are not yet ready to deliver power on this scale, despite the obvious potential for solar power in such a sunny country. The energy future of the UAE will have to combine renewable power such as is being worked on by the Masdar initiative, as well as nuclear power. What is clear is that burning hydrocarbons will have to play a smaller role.
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