UAE n-reactor plan a far-sighted move

It should raise eyebrows that the United Arab Republic (UAE) is set to get its civil nuclear programme going. It has signed a deal with a South Korean corporation, and the reactor will come up by 2017 near the UAE-Saudi Arabia border.

The development is significant because an oil-rich Gulf country is going for the nuclear power option. The logic is simple. Oil is a depleting natural resource compared to nuclear power, and it is a relatively eco-friendly energy source. The UAE government is preparing for future challenges and exigencies.

There is, of course, quite a bit of complex politics behind it as well. As Iran is defiantly pursuing the nuclear power programme, the United States and others are encouraging and nudging the Gulf countries too on the same path. Whatever the politics behind the UAE decision, it is a laudable one. Clean energy is a vital issue and not many governments are not paying enough attention to it. The UAE government has shown that it is time to act in the matter.