UAE to set up Emirates Nuclear Energy Corporation

Abu Dhabi: The UAE's rapid economic growth and a predicted shortage in natural gas, calls for diversifying the country's energy sources, Shaikh Abdullah Bin Zayed Al Nahyan, Foreign Minister, said on Sunday.

"We recognise that this growth will require continued access to affordable energy, and for this reason the United Arab Emirates has begun to evaluate the potential contribution of peaceful nuclear energy to its future domestic energy mix," he explained to key officials at the launch of a white paper on the nation's nuclear programme.

Cooperation

Shaikh Abdullah also announced the appointment of Hamad Al Ka'abi as Special Representative of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs for International Nuclear Cooperation.

While the white paper, "Policy of the United Arab Emirates on the Evaluation and Potential Development of Peaceful Nuclear Energy", acknowledges that fossil fuels and coal could meet the country's energy demands, it considers their economical and environmental cost too high to rely on alone.

A study conducted by the federal government revealed that demand for electricity will increase to more than double the current demand of 15,546 megawatts (MW) of energy. Known volumes of natural gas, it stated, would be insufficient to meet the future demand.

Based on the plans for the nation, the growth in the economy and infrastructure, the government predicts that 40,858 MW of energy will be required to meet demand by 2020, reflecting a cumulative annual growth in demand of approximately 9 per cent.

Shaikh Abdullah justified the economic viability of the nuclear programme: "Assessments by government entities have shown that the generation of one kilowatt hour of electricity from a nuclear reactor would cost less than one-third of what it would cost to produce the same kilowatt hour using a crude-oil-fired power plant".

Concern for the environment was also on the agenda. Shaikh Abdullah said that generating a single kilowatt hour using a nuclear power plant rather than a crude-oil-fired power plant would reduce emissions of carbon dioxide by approximately 726 grams.

He pointed out that the UAE government has ensured not to emulate nuclear programmes of other countries and, instead, come up with an approach suitable for the UAE through consultations with the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) and the governments of France, the United States, the United Kingdom, Russia, China, Germany, Japan and South Korea.

The use of alternative energy, too, has not been ruled out, but the paper points out that it can only be relied on to meet a small percentage of the 2020 demand. "Evaluation of alternative energy sources, including solar and wind power, suggested that, while these options could be deployed within the UAE, even aggressive development could only supply 6 to 7% of peak electricity demand by 2020," it states.

Therefore, the paper states, "nuclear power generation emerged as a proven, environmentally promising and commercially competitive option which could make a significant base-load contribution to the UAE's economy and energy security."

An emphasis on safety was outlined by the white paper, with mention of the future establishment of a regulatory authority that would be charged with overseeing all activities in the nuclear sector.

The paper highlights the UAE's commitment to safety citing the government's signing of two safety conventions in 1987 following the Chernobyl incident.

Through its nuclear programme, the UAE also hopes to serve as an example in establishing "a new model by which non-nuclear states may explore and potentially deploy nuclear energy with the support and confidence of the international community".

Shaikh Abdullah reiterated the UAE's stand on nuclear proliferation in the region, saying the government's policy is fully consistent with its support for the Nuclear Non Proliferation Treaty and the UAE's support "for a Middle East free of weapons of mass destruction".

Treaties: Safeguards

Non-proliferation instruments concluded by the UAE

* to be concluded in tandem with the UAE's evaluation of nuclear energy.

Source: Policy of the United Arab Emirates on the Evaluation and Potential Development of Peaceful Nuclear Energy

Click here to see the document on UAE's policy on peaceful nuclear energy