Nuclear Energy Is Seen As A Clean And Sustainable Future Option By The GCC And Israel

Tuesday, 13 June 2023

Sumita Pawar

Israel's diplomatic options expanded in August 2020 when the United Arab Emirates (UAE), Bahrain, and Israel signed the Abraham Accords. Not long after, both Morocco and Sudan recognised Israel's legitimacy on the political stage. Tense relations with Saudi Arabia also eased tensions.

The United Arab Emirates is an exceptional instance. Israel's diplomatic presence in Abu Dhabi was officially recognised in 2015, although its mandate was confined to helping the country join the International Renewable Energy Agency. The Trump administration's efforts, along with the two countries’ acknowledgement of the benefits of working together, ultimately resulted in the establishment of full diplomatic relations. Many outsiders to the area have been taken aback by the United Arab Emirates and Israel's rapid and decisive political will to advance in just over two years.

For the past half-century or so, light water reactors (LWRs) have been the standard for nuclear power plants. It runs on uranium fuel and is cooled by regular (or "light") tap water. Using less than one percent of the energy that could be recovered from uranium, LWRs are very wasteful in their use of natural resources.

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The United Arab Emirates (UAE) will benefit from the investment in nuclear energy by creating cleaner and more diverse energy sources for internal use and export. Almost all of the United Arab Emirates energy needs are currently met by fossil fuels, but the country's officials are making plans for long-term environmental and economic sustainability. By 2050, the United Arab Emirates plans to have 50% of its energy come from renewable sources, with nuclear accounting for 6% of the total. The United Arab Emirates hopes to cut its carbon dioxide output by 70% as well. 

His Highness Mohammed bin Zayed Al Nahyan, Crown Prince of Abu Dhabi, spoke optimistically about this energy transformation in his keynote address to the 2015 World Government Summit in Dubai. "The big question is, are we going to feel sorry 50 years from now when we've loaded this last barrel of oil? If our investment today is successful, I believe that we will all rejoice.

In 2011, it was reported that the Iranian nuclear reactor at Bouchehr will be connected to the local power company, marking the beginning of a race for nuclear supremacy in the Middle East. In 2016, Saudi Arabia announced plans to construct 16 nuclear power reactors by 2040, whereas the United Arab Emirates (UAE) already possesses 4 reactors, according to the most recent statistics published by the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA). With an output of 1,400 megawatts at the start of 2021, the reactor in the first Baraka station in Abu Dhabi became the largest single source of electric energy in the Emirates. Egypt, Turkey, and Jordan are just a few of the other Middle Eastern countries actively working to build nuclear power plants to meet their growing energy demands. 

Energy security is a top priority for many of the region's oil producers. The monarchies of the Persian Gulf are beginning to investigate alternatives to oil as a method of reducing their reliance on fossil fuels, with Saudi Arabia and the United Arab Emirates at the forefront of this trend. Population expansion is the primary driver of increased energy demand in both Jordan and Egypt. The security concerns in the Middle East in the face of Iran's military nuclear programme must not be lost amidst all these other worries. In light of the possible shifts in regional power dynamics, some countries consider nuclear weapons as a necessary defensive measure.

Setting A Benchmark

The ability to produce clean energy is the primary motivation for developing nuclear energy in the UAE's bordering countries. The Baraka nuclear power project was commissioned by the Emirates Nuclear Energy Corporation (ENEC) in 2009, with construction allocated to the Korea Electric Power Company for a total of $20 billion. It was the first nuclear power plant to be built in the Middle East at a time of relative calm, and its four reactors represent one of the world's largest recent investments in nuclear energy. The United Arab Emirates and the United States inked a bilateral nuclear cooperation pact that same year. Because of its early adoption of international safety and security principles on non-proliferation, the federation has become a regional role model in nuclear matters. Its partnership with the United States is a "golden guarantee" in this regard.

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The annual increase in electricity demand in the UAE ranges from 7 percent to 10 percent, reflecting the country's expanding industrial sector and populace. But right now, fossil fuels provide almost all of the nation's energy. As a result, Abu Dhabi has announced its first national energy policy, including plans to shift to sustainable energy sources for both domestic use and exports by the year 2050. Considering that the United Arab Emirates wants to cut its CO2 emissions by 70%, the remaining 44% will be made up of various renewable energy sources including solar power and wind turbines.

Despite its alliance with the United States, this Gulf state has also been looking to China for assistance. On his first overseas trip after being re-elected as President of the People's Republic, Xi Jinping visited the federation in 2018. They made the announcement of their global strategic alliance at that time. In order to execute a model of sustainable development that includes industrial and financial cooperation, the nuclear agencies of the two countries signed a memorandum of understanding. The Chinese National Nuclear Corporation and businesses from the United Arab Emirates have signed a cooperation to work together on energy projects.

However, there are a number of obstacles that will make it impossible for such cooperation to flourish. At one point, Dubai was the hub of a smuggling operation headed by Pakistani nuclear scientist Abdul Oadeer Khan. Because of the United Arab Emirates federal system, coordinating the regulation of dual-use items among the many emirates can be challenging. In addition, the Houthis assaulted multiple Emirati sites when war broke out in Yemen in 2014, prompting the UAE to delay establishing any new nuclear construction sites for fear of being targeted as well. The United Arab Emirates (UAE) just inked a contract with South Korea to construct four nuclear units, while the United States (US), Russia (RU), and France (FR) are all competing for nuclear contracts, leaving less and less opportunity for China.

Gulf-Israel Bonding

There is some validity to this interpretation. To the Gulf states, Egypt has long represented what Washington will accept in terms of a formal relationship with Israel. Even though Egypt has autocratic politics and a dismal human rights record, after negotiating a peace treaty with Israel in 1978–1979, it moved into the U.S. strategic orbit and became the second-largest receiver of American economic aid and military assistance. However, the Gulf states acknowledge that Egypt's status as a peace partner to Israel has made it seem important in America's strategic regional foreign policy, despite the fact that the United States already has strong ties with and financial support from these countries.

Could a new alliance with Israel reverse the United States' declining strategic importance to the Gulf states and silence those who want to "rethink" ties with Saudi Arabia? According to the Saudi-UAE axis, this is the case, and they are placing their future hopes in a new regional security partnership with Israel.

What's more, Israel and the Gulf Axis have joined forces to influence U.S. policy in the Middle East. Particularly concerning and potentially hazardous was the Obama administration's pursuit of a nuclear agreement with Iran, which would have ended Iran's isolation. This alliance took a big stride forward in 2016 when the two sides worked together to resist Obama's agenda; in 2017, they used this foundation to begin cooperating with the new Trump administration.

The Trump administration's fundamental goal in the Middle East has been to strengthen the alliance between the Gulf states and Israel, and this strategy has been very successful. The result was practically unequivocal backing for both sides, the withdrawal from Obama's flagship nuclear accord, the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action (JCPOA), and the implementation of a "maximum pressure" campaign against Iran.

The United Arab Emirates decision to establish diplomatic ties with Israel in September 2020 should be evaluated not only in light of the country's ties to the Trump administration but also in light of the possibility of a return to Democratic Party rule in the United States in the wake of the upcoming midterm elections. Despite the growing polarisation of U.S.-Gulf relations under the Trump administration, the increasingly negative view of Saudi-UAE policies within progressive Democratic circles, and the emphasis placed on the need to recalibrate U.S.-Saudi relations, both sides of the political aisle, including the Biden campaign, welcomed the normalisation agreements. Even though Joe Biden was elected president in November of 2020, the United States' relationship with the United Arab Emirates and Saudi Arabia did not drastically alter until many months into his administration.

Addressing Growing Power Demand

A 2015 report by Masdar and GE found that power demand was growing at a rate of seven to ten percent per year due to the expansion of the country's businesses and population. The United Arab Emirates (UAE) has spent billions on renewable energy development with the aim of having solar, wind and other technologies account for 44% of its energy mix by 2050.

Up to 25% of the United Arab Emirates energy needs may be met by the four civilian nuclear reactors operating at full capacity with almost negligible carbon emissions. Energy from one uranium pellet the size of an adult's fingernail is equivalent to 474 litres of oil, per ENEC.

Emirates Nuclear Energy Corporation (ENEC) is making significant investments in education courses to carry the sector into the future to satisfy the demand for new engineers, scientists and mathematicians. Khalifa University, the Federal Authority for Nuclear Regulation, and Abu Dhabi Polytechnic are just a few of the top universities in the world that ENEC has partnered with through its Energy Pioneers Programme and the UAE Nuclear Energy Scholarship Programme to provide students with top-tier nuclear education.

In a statement to employees, ENEC CEO Mohamed Al Hammadi emphasised that the company's people are its "greatest asset." In preparation for plant operations, we are investing heavily in the education and growth of bright Emiratis.

KEPCO's cutting-edge APR1400 technology will be utilised in all four reactors, as this is what the U.S. Nuclear Regulatory Commission mandated for new plants in the wake of the Three Mile Island disaster. A cutting-edge simulator will be used to educate future operators.

The site selection for the plant was also given careful thought. The area has been completely safe from tsunamis and tectonic activity for over a hundred million years. "The Barakah site was selected after a 12-month-long analysis," explains Maryam Qasem, Head of Nuclear Fuel Fabrication at ENEC. The environmental considerations, seismic history, security, and distance from populous regions were all taken into account in the study.

Indices Of Collaboration

Israeli leaders have been quite open to regional collaboration, especially with its peace treaty partners Egypt and Jordan. However, even if there were a desire for cooperation among these three countries, it would be extremely challenging due to the current political environment in the region. The unofficial Israeli-Jordanian relationship is a good example of this, despite the more critical public tone. Cooperation in the nuclear sphere is taking place, albeit covertly. The main topic of conversation for officials from both nations is Jordan's proposed reactor in Aqaba, on the Red Sea near the Israeli-Jordanian border. The meetings' full scope is unknown, but Israel is helping out with site selection, nuclear safety and security issues, and giving seismic data from its Geophysical Institute.

Israle's National Infrastructures Minister Uzi Landau reportedly met with France's environment and energy Minister Jean-Louis Borloo in March to discuss potential nuclear cooperation between France, Israel, and Jordan. On the other hand, Jordan has distanced itself from this public conversation, with Jordan Atomic Energy Commission Chairman Khaled Toukan saying that it is "too early to speak of regional cooperation with Israel before resolving the Palestinian issue and the Arab-Israeli conflict." However, this incident can be interpreted as a test balloon and a sign of Israeli willingness to engage in regional nuclear cooperation.

The SESAME (Synchrotron-light for Experimental Science and Applications in the Middle East) initiative in Jordan is further proof of the region's desire to cooperate in the nuclear area. When completed, SESAME will be the largest scientific research facility in the Middle East, with the stated mission of becoming "an international scientific and technological centre of excellence open to all qualified scientists from the Middle East and elsewhere." Germany donated a synchrotron radiation source that serves as the project's focal point. The subjects of molecular environmental science, micro-electromechanical devices, x-ray imaging, materials characterization, and clinical medicinal applications are just a few of the areas that will be active. Bahrain, Cyprus, Egypt, Iran, Israel, Jordan, Pakistan, Turkey, and the Palestinian Authority are all current SESAME members.

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Israel, with its extensive background in nuclear technology, has much to contribute to discussions about regional nuclear cooperation in the Middle East. As we've seen, it's already helping Jordan with Aqaba siting concerns. Help like this can be extended to more countries like Egypt. Building nuclear trust can also begin with information exchanges concerning topics like nuclear safety and security. Israel has a lot to contribute in the realm of education, especially as it is in the process of establishing new nuclear engineering and physics schools to preserve its nuclear expertise. The Soreq Nuclear Research Center has upgraded its 50-year-old research reactor with a new particle accelerator. Weizmann Institute, the Israel Academy of Science, and the Hebrew University of Jerusalem are all partners in the accelerator's development. The barrier of language does not always exist. The Weizmann Institute, for instance, makes available to anyone interested in all necessary graduate courses taught in English.

Challenges Of The Game

Establishing a new sector is not without its difficulties, but according to Al Hammadi, ENEC has been helped along the way by strong administration. We have encountered several difficulties and setbacks along the road. The United Arab Emirates (UAE) careful planning and preparation for the program's debut helped us overcome these obstacles.

The assistance of foreign legal counsel has also been crucial to ENEC's progress. A board of internationally recognised nuclear experts meets twice a year in the United Arab Emirates to assess the program's compliance with global norms. Qasem says, "We are very proud of the industrial support that we have been getting, which is helping us to develop our own capabilities." "We've been comparing ourselves to international organisations in every way possible."

Al Hammadi, CEO of ENEC, is pleased with the role his company and the Barakah plant will play in enabling the UAE to meet its energy objectives. Also, "Nuclear energy has an important role to play in our nation's future," he writes. In a dynamic economy like ours, energy is the motor that keeps things moving forward. The United Arab Emirates (UAE) can diversify its energy portfolio and help ensure a secure and sustainable energy future by developing a safe, clean, dependable, and efficient source of electricity through nuclear power.   

According to Eugene Shwageraus, Professor of Nuclear Energy Systems Engineering at the University of Cambridge, "fast breeders" were developed in the 1970s "when the availability of uranium was feared to be a real concern." These reactors produce fuel more quickly than they use it. However, in order to design such a system, they had to stop using water to cool the reactors. They required intricate engineering since they were cooled by liquid metal, most commonly molten sodium. This adds complexity to the system, increasing the cost of fast breeders relative to light water-cooled reactors.

Fast breeders were never widely used because of the high initial investment required and also because, as it turns out, uranium is quite easy to get by. About 450 civil and naval establishments throughout the world still use the LWR as the norm despite its energy inefficiency.

Here is where the creativity of the Israeli scientist comes into play. He and Todosow hope to create a cheap light water-cooled reactor that is as efficient as a fast breeder in removing energy from its fuel by adapting existing LWR technology.

In three years, Shwageraus says, "We'll choose from several ways to see which is optimal to combine safety, economics, and resource utilisation."

Working Together On Renewable, Sustainable Options

The desired outcome is a reactor that can maintain itself through a balance of fuel production and consumption. With uranium and a mild water coolant, this is impossible. Thorium is preferable because its nuclear properties allow for extensive customization of reactor cores. Thorium reserves may have more energy than all other fossil and nuclear fuels put together, according to some estimates.

Shwageraus claims that there are at least three times as many thorium atoms as uranium atoms in the Earth's crust and that they are much easier to remove. It was discovered by a Swedish scientist in Norway in the 19th century and named after Thor, the Norse god of thunder, and is now found in abundance in India, the United States, Australia, and Turkey. Although its potential application in the generation of nuclear energy has been recognised for some time, it has not yet been realised.

Shwageraus freely confesses that he was taken aback to be awarded a grant from the BSF Energy Independence Partnership, given how competitive the funds were. Through this programme, American and Israeli researchers can pool their resources to develop clean energy technologies. In the first stage, six initiatives involving solar energy, biofuels, and clean, safe nuclear energy were given a total of $1.2 million in funding supported by the Ministry of National Infrastructures.

How The UAE Is Leading The Way In Safe, Civilian Nuclear Power In The Middle East

The United Arab Emirates has become a regional leader in nuclear safety and security by adhering to global non-proliferation norms. Government officials and non-proliferation specialists have hailed the United Arab Emirates’ (UAE) nuclear cooperation with the United States as the "gold standard" for its dedication to these values.

According to Danny Sebright, president of the U.S.-UAE Business Council, "This is a pioneering attempt to use the latest technologies available on the world market to build and operate one of the most sophisticated, most advanced nuclear energy facilities anywhere in the world."

Bahrain | GCC | sustainable | nuclear energy