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Historically, the Middle East and North Africa (MENA) region has exploited its vast oil and gas reserves to meet its energy needs, but today, leaders in the region are increasingly looking to nuclear power as a reliable source of base-load electric power. In an effort to diversify the energy supply, MENA countries have adopted a range of policies with regard to nuclear power; some aim to increase natural gas consumption, provided by gas-rich Qatar and Iran, while others aim to ramp up renewable power generation.
Nuclear power production, however, provides MENA countries with several specific advantages when compared to fossil fuels or other renewables. First, it frees up depleting natural gas and oil resources for export. Second, it can provide base-load power, which many renewable sources cannot. Third, it allows for countries like Saudi Arabia to counterbalance the nuclear capabilities of Iran. Finally, nuclear power can play a greater role in desalination, an ever increasing need in the water constrained region. However, the development of a nuclear program is extraordinarily capital and resource intensive. As a result, MENA countries eager to develop a nuclear power program have explored an array of creative techniques and financing options. Still, the fast expansion in global nuclear generation capacity, particularly in developing countries, has raised flags, not only about proliferation concerns, but also about the safety of operating these plants.
Source: IEA
Water Scarcity Driving Growing Interest in Nuclear Power in MENA Countries
MENA countries currently depend primarily on fossil fuel, particularly oil and natural gas, for meeting their electricity and potable water needs. In the United Arab Emirates (UAE), for example, the current peak generating capacity of 15 GW is expected to reach roughly 40 GW by 2020, which could not be met by the modest and depleting natural gas reserve in UAE.
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Dr. Mohamed S. El-Genk
Regents Professor of Chemical, Nuclear, and Mechanical Engineering Founding Director, Institute for Space and Nuclear Power Studies The University of New Mexico, Albuquerque, NM, USA E-mail:
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01 July 2010
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