New Report Raises Questions about UAE’s Nuclear Energy Programme

Confidence Shaken

The UAE nuclear energy programme has suffered a knock in public confidence following the disaster at the Fukushima Daiichi plant in Japan.

Leaders of the UAE nuclear energy initiative vowed to review its plans and safety measures after the earthquake damaged the Fukushima reactors causing massive evacuations and public health concerns due to the high and prolonged radiation levels.

New Report

But the recent 26 page study [download link] by the UN’s Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) written by scientists and approved by government delegates at talks in Abu Dhabi should give further reasons to reassess the UAE’s nuclear proposals.

This report states that renewable sources such as solar, wind and hydropower could fulfill almost 80% of the world’s energy demand by 2050 if the right policies are implemented.

Given Abu Dhabi’s commitment to Masdar and being the permanent headquarters of the International Renewable Energy Agency (IRENA) one would think that it would be far better for the UAE to be in the vanguard of renewable energy sources rather than being a latecomer to nuclear power, which in a few decades may well be passé.

Geoff Pound

This article is also posted on the Fujairah in Focus—Facebook Page.