Arab Emirates Push for Nuclear Power
The United Arab Emirates is pushing hard to develop its "post-oil economy" in time to sail through the rougher days ahead. By establishing itself as an economic "gateway to the Arab world", as well as a world financial center in its own right, the Emirates are attempting to build a prosperous future that is less dependent upon local production of oil. Nuclear power will provide baseload energy for the huge new developments being built in Dubai and Abu Dhabi. Air conditioning demands for the growing population centers within the Emirates will require a much greater expenditure of energy.The UAE’s plan to acquire nuclear technology for power generation and other peaceful uses will allow it to save its oil and gas wealth and maximise its income from hydrocarbon exports in the long term, according to information from analysts.A growing population within a very hot, arid desert, will require a large amount of electrical energy for air conditioning and desalination. Nuclear energy makes sense, given the high costs of natural gas and oil currently.
Although it is importing gas from Qatar and is planning to get more supplies from Iran, the UAE could curb any increase in such imports by introducing nuclear technology for power generation, they said.
The nuclear programme, which is expected to be implemented in phases in the long term, could also help offset a steady and rapid increase in oil consumption in the UAE because of growth in most non-oil sectors.
“This will of course enable the UAE to save its oil and gas wealth for future generations,” said an economist at an Abu Dhabi-based bank....In a comment yesterday, the Abu Dhabi-based Emirates Centre for Strategic Studies and Research said the UAE nuclear plans would support its efforts to preserve the hydrocarbon wealth, meet growing domestic energy demand, protect the environment and boost the economy.
“Generating power through nuclear energy is a very viable option commercially… it will effectively contribute to economic development,” it said. _Business24/7
Does the same energy calculus apply to Iran as well? Certainly. Unfortunately, Iran has been caught enriching uranium for other, less innocent purposes. Combined with Iran's hostility toward its Middle Eastern neighbors and outspoken belligerence and threatening posture, Iran will have to be looked at as a special case.
Labels: arab, Iran, nuclear energy
posted by al fin at 11:01 am
5 Comments:
I can't help but wonder if densely populated, rapidly urbanizing Middle Eastern nations who decide to pursue nuclear energy might suddenly have an interest in reducing extremism. The taller the buildings get in these nations and the more people live close to reactors the less safe it could be seen to be churning out people who like to knock things down and blow stuff up. Even if the jihadis never turn on these new metropolitan centers the potential for them provoking blowback terrorism becomes non-negligible. The more high profile anti-infidel terror attacks occur the more some fringe groups are going to start considering turnabout to be fair play. The gentlemen building these skyscrapers in the Gulf and investing in energy intensive desalination must be pondering this.
Given the sunny, desert conditions, it would seem both economically and politically easier to implement a large-scale solar power grid... certainly politically easier.
Yep. When they have a larger stake in the global enterprise, they may become more protective and more cautious. Their children may not care, though.
Bruce, not many people vote over there, and there are very few things subject to a vote in the first place.
Most of the residents are not citizens, and have very few rights.
PV takes a lot of space for the amount of power compared to nuclear. PV is not baseload energy, and the state of the art in storage is still poor.
With nuclear, they can make a deal with Westinghouse or Areva and an international construction company, for setup and 20 year maintenance etc. Nice and neat. Roughly 1 GW per reactor, choose your output.
Al,
When I said "politically easier," I was referring to world politics and the reluctance of the West to provide nuclear technology in areas of potential misuse [Middle East].
It may be a lot easier for them to convince the West to help them in the PV arena or, as you have posted, in the solar thermal method of power generation.
I see what you mean, Bruce.
Certainly many companies would like to build solar power plants in the Arab deserts, but there is only so much skilled manpower available for all the large energy projects that are going on.
They will have to take a number.
Shortage of manpower, shortage of ready-made materials and equipment, and shortage of the type of financing that is strong enough to cut through the other shortages is causing longer delays in non-oil/non-gas projects than would occur otherwise.
Even Saudi Arabia's attempts to modernize some of their oil fields so as to allow better recovery is suffering from delays in equipment and personnel.
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