NUCLEAR OPTION: The United Arab Emirates is gearing up to begin construction on a nuclear power plant, the first among Gulf Arab states. A license issued by the UAE’s Federal Authority for Nuclear Regulation covers the construction of the initial two reactors of a plant slated for a remote coastal site near the border with Saudi Arabia.
OIL RICH-POWER HUNGRY: Despite its oil wealth, the OPEC member has to import natural gas to run many of its existing power plants and has struggled to keep up with demand.
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NONPROLIFERATION: The U.S. ally signed a deal with Washington shortly before awarding a contract for the plant in which it agreed not to enrich uranium or reprocess spent nuclear fuel for plutonium, which is used in nuclear bombs. American officials have characterized that agreement, originally signed during the final days of the administration of President George W. Bush, as a model for curbing the spread of nuclear weapons. The UAE plans to buy fuel for its reactors from abroad.
