The United Arab Emirates passed the final hurdle in its lengthy quest to be the first Arab nation with a nuclear power plant.
The UAE's nuclear regulator on Monday cleared the Barakah reactor to start loading fuel and begin commercial use in the coming months, according to Bloomberg. The country is set to become the first Arab state to achieve nuclear energy and will join 30 other countries in using the clean, although controversial, form of energy.
Barakah is part of a joint venture with Korea Electric Power Corp, and the oil-wealthy Arab country has plans for more such reactors. The UAE hopes to have four, including Barakah, up and running by 2023. The total cost to build the reactors is estimated to be around $25 billion, and they are expected to compose almost a fifth of UAE's current installed generating capacity.
Despite the price tag, the UAE is hoping to get its renewable energy usage up to about 75% by 2050. Other Arab countries also want to join the nuclear club, with Saudi Arabia and Egypt pushing for power plants......snip~
https://www.washingtonexaminer.com/n...egin-operation
Imagine that. Should give Iran something to think about, eh?