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| Arabia | |
| UAE set to launch nuclear programme | |
| 2008-01-21 | |
Flush with petrodollars, the government in Abu Dhabi is preparing a policy document that will soon be sent for comment to world powers, including the five permanent members of the United Nations Security Council, and to the International Atomic Energy Agency, the UN’s nuclear watchdog. Six Arab Gulf states, including the UAE, last year asked the IAEA to study the feasibility of a joint nuclear programme in a move seen as a political response to Iran’s nuclear activities. The UAE, however, is making clear that its project will not involve uranium enrichment, the most sensitive part of a programme – and that it would instead import nuclear fuel from international sources. The world community has been calling on Iran to suspend its uranium enrichment, which could produce fuel both for peaceful use and for atomic weapons. “If anything the fact that we’re not enriching will embarrass the Iranians and make people ask whether enrichment is essential,” said one UAE official. The UAE will also be ready to sign a so-called “additional protocol” with the IAEA, allowing for extra scrutiny of its activities, says the official. Several Arab states outside the Gulf have also expressed interest in nuclear power over the past year but the UAE is expecting to be the first to forge ahead with its plans. Last week, it signed a nuclear co-operation agreement with France during President Nicolas Sarkozy’s visit to the Gulf. French oil company Total has joined with other French firms in submitting a proposal to the Abu Dhabi authorities to develop two new reactors. Although a major oil producer, the UAE argues that it needs nuclear energy to satisfy soaring demand for power and desalinated water. With electricity demand soaring by 10 per cent a year, the UAE is expected to double its power capacity over the next decade to supply the rapidly-growing population and many industrial ventures. Officials say that faster growth as a result of economic diversification could eat away at hydrocarbons exports. | |
| Posted by:lotp |