The Japanese nuclear disaster caused by the tsunami and earthquake on March 11 brought the energy crisis back to square one.
It prompted many countries to reassess their decisions regarding energy security, which is considered the primary driving force for development.
Before the crisis, caused by the Fukushima nuclear reactor and the radioactive contamination that followed it, many countries — especially those in North America and Europe — approved practical measures to stay away from hydrocarbon energy sources by opting for other alternatives.
At the forefront of such alternatives was the development of nuclear energy.
After the crisis — and despite all the safety precautionary measures taken to avoid it — many countries have decided to take measures to get rid of nuclear reactors.
Germany, for example, announced the immediate shutdown of seven nuclear reactors, and is planning to close down 17 more by the end of the decade.
At the European Union level, work is under way to eventually get rid of 143 nuclear reactors and to have these subjected to stress tests.
Precautionary steps
These precautionary measures are being taken because Europe will not be able to handle a nuclear disaster caused by earthquakes, floods or an electricity outage, especially since it continues to suffer — despite nearly a quarter of a century — from the 1986 Chernobyl disaster.
And while this approach will increase reliance on oil and gas, it will, in the meantime, open up avenues for developing clean and alternative energy sources — as was discussed at the International Renewable Energy Agency (Irena) General Assembly session in Abu Dhabi last week.
As things stand, re-evaluating energy security from a technical aspect varies from one country to another.
European countries' attempts will focus on wind energy and increasing research into solar energy sources in order to decrease its dependency on gas imported from Russia and North Africa.
On the other hand, hydro-electric energy and solar energy will top North and South American, Asian and African countries' strategies.
However, it is still expected that they will increasingly rely on natural gas and oil — particularly from GCC countries. This is especially true in the case of Asian countries.
Such a change is considered very important for Arab countries, especially oil producing nations, because it will help increase global demand for hydrocarbon sources of energy.
This requires GCC countries to boost their oil production to meet increasing demand and to support global oil market stability, bearing in mind that this will contribute to speeding up the decline in oil reserves and the drop in oil field outputs in the mid and long-term.
At the same time, the Fukushima disaster could force Arab countries to reconsider their strategies to balance energy use, as was the case in America and Europe.
The might be easier for the GCC than for its Western counterparts, thanks to the massive oil and gas reserves in the region and an abundance of solar energy throughout the year.
Outlook
The Fukushima nuclear disaster occurred near an open ocean, which reduced the contamination's severity. The Arabian Gulf is an enclosed body of water on which Gulf countries rely significantly for desalinated water.
Gulf cities are also close to one another, which increases fears about whether radioactive contamination can be contained. Iran's Bushehr nuclear reactor, for example, is located near a tectonic plate.
Despite the scarcity of earthquakes in the GCC area, the safety and security procedures in the plant are of some concern and the subject of many questions. The GCC can focus on solar energy production and re-directing a portion of investments — allocated for nuclear energy — into developing clean solar energy, which is safe and renewable.
The proper utilisation of huge oil revenues in the future and finding new sources of clean energy, especially solar energy, can be a massive gain in terms of economic, security and strategic factors for the Gulf countries.
This approach will also contribute to the GCC continuing to be a key energy supplier by developing its solar energy exports and maintaining its role in the global energy market in the post-oil period — at a time when nuclear energy does not provide such an alternative.
