Shota Kamishima, Senior Coordination Officer at the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA), stated, “Nuclear energy sits at the intersection of energy demands, technological innovation, and an evolving security environment. This creates a significant opportunity.”
Sustainable Energy Supply
Kamishima added, “When developed correctly, nuclear energy can support sustainable development, enhance energy resilience, and even serve as a platform for regional cooperation.”
The resurgence of nuclear energy, which faced setbacks after the 2011 Fukushima nuclear accident, was evident at the 2023 UN Climate Change Conference. Nuclear power was officially recognized as a low-emission technology, with calls to accelerate its promotion.
Thirty-three countries, including the United Arab Emirates, have backed the goal of tripling their nuclear power capacity by 2050. The Barakah nuclear plant in the UAE currently supplies approximately 25% of the country’s domestic energy needs.
Globally, 416 nuclear reactors in 31 countries provide about 10% of the world’s electricity. An additional 63 reactors are under construction, and approximately 60 countries are considering introducing or planning for nuclear power, including small modular reactors.
Egypt places significant emphasis on nuclear power as part of its comprehensive energy strategy.
Alongside renewable energy projects like the Benban Solar Power Plant and the Suez Gulf Wind Farm, the country is nearing the completion of the El Dabaa nuclear power plant, which will have a total installed capacity of 4,800 megawatts.
Egyptian officials believe this will help them establish a stable and efficient system while also enabling them to export clean electricity.
Almuntaser Albalawi, a researcher at the United Nations Institute for Disarmament Research (UNIDIR), commented, “Energy demand in the Middle East and North Africa region has tripled between 2000 and 2024 and will continue to rise, driven by artificial intelligence and economic transformation. The region has unique needs, such as desalination and cooling, making reliance on stable energy sources even more urgent.”
Security, Climate, and Long-Term Uncertainty
Despite these demands, the geopolitical landscape in the Middle East raises questions about the safety of developing and operating nuclear energy in the region.
Professor Zia Mian, a senior research scientist and co-director of the Program on Science and Global Security at Princeton University, noted, “When we talk about a nuclear power plant, a reasonable unit of time should be its lifecycle; about 75 years from construction to decommissioning.”
Mian questioned, “Shouldn’t all these discussions revolve around a central question: What has the Middle East been like for the last 75 years? How do we expect it to evolve in the future?” He highlighted events such as the 1967 and 1973 Arab-Israeli wars, the Iran-Iraq war from 1980-1988, followed by the US-Iraqi wars and the Syrian civil war.
He asked, “Are you prepared to bet that the next 75 years will be fundamentally different from the past 75 years?”
Beyond security and political considerations, concerns exist that the climate and environment in the Middle East are not conducive to the development of nuclear energy.
According to the World Meteorological Organization’s (WMO) first “State of the Climate in the Arab Region” report, published in 2024, the Middle East is warming at twice the global average rate.
Temperatures could rise by five degrees Celsius by the end of this century, which could directly affect the operation of nuclear power plants.
Professor Mian stated, “In other words, the Middle East will become almost uninhabitable for people to live outside.”
He further explained, “Furthermore, the heat exchange needs of nuclear power plants are extremely high, and their cooling water requirements are equally significant. For example, every summer, when people need electricity the most for cooling, France has to shut down nuclear plants due to excessively high outside temperatures.”
