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Nuclear energy finds favour in Middle East

29 August 2023

Commentary
Colin Foreman
Editor

Read the September issue of MEED Business Review

Nuclear energy has moved in and out of favour over the past decade. Following the Fukushima nuclear disaster in March 2011, the world feared more accidents and shunned the idea of new nuclear power generating capacity in favour of more traditional energy sources – which often involved burning more hydrocarbons.

Much has changed since then. Protecting the environment and slowing down climate change has become increasingly important, with international treaties such as the 2015 Paris Agreement forcing governments to search for alternatives to hydrocarbons.

While renewable sources such as wind and solar are the preferred option, they are intermittent, and some form of baseload is still required.

Nuclear energy’s benefits have been consistently recognised in the region 

If hydrocarbons are to be scaled back and battery energy storage remains expensive or untested, an obvious solution is nuclear.

At the same time, energy security has become a concern. The war in Ukraine and Russian threats to halt gas exports to Europe have shown how important it is to have reliable energy production that does not rely on importing large quantities of fuel.

All of these things combined mean nuclear power today is a far more attractive proposition than it was 10 years ago. 

For the Middle East, nuclear energy’s benefits have been consistently recognised. Iran, despite sanctions, has pressed ahead with its nuclear power projects. On the other side of the Gulf, Abu Dhabi signed contracts in 2009 with a South Korean consortium to build its first nuclear power project in Barakah. More recently, Egypt has started work on its own nuclear project at El-Dabaa.

More projects are planned. Most notably, Saudi Arabia is advancing early plans for its nuclear power projects. Abu Dhabi’s experience has shown that these projects, even if delivered on time, are long-term affairs, and during that time much can change.

This package also includes:

> Mena pushes for nuclear future: Decarbonisation increases the stakes for nuclear energy despite perceived risks
> Small reactors top nuclear agenda: Saudi Arabia and Jordan consider deploying small modular reactor solutions as part of their nuclear power programmes

 

 

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Colin Foreman

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