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After the nuclear disaster at Fukushima most countries around the world curtailed their nuclear power ambitions. However one region remained unperturbed in its desire to acquire nuclear technology, and instead intensified efforts—the Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC). At the 27th GCC Summit in December 2006, the six members–Saudi Arabia, United Arab Emirates, Oman, Kuwait, Qatar and Bahrain–decided unanimously to adopt nuclear technology to fuel their domestic electricity & desalination needs. Since then, the GCC, led by United Arab Emirates (UAE) and Saudi Arabia has seriously pursued this initiative, signing deals and Memoranda of Understanding (MOU) with various countries for technology and supplies.
The Gulf States cite the reason to shift from conventional fossil fuels to nuclear energy––their need to feed the massive per capita energy needs, one of the highest in the world. With few natural resources beyond fossil fuels, the GCC countries need nuclear energy for their growing domestic energy requirements. The UAE has already signed deals with France, South Korea, Japan, UK & USA. It will soon start construction of its first nuclear plant in Abu Dhabi. Like wise, Saudi Arabia has signed deals with France, Argentina, South Korea and China.
What is interesting is the speculation among western nations that the Gulf States are pursuing nuclear technology to be able to use it in warfare should the need arise, given the fact that Iran is on the threshold of becoming a nuclear state. What motivates the Gulf States, whether energy or warfare, is something that will be explored in this paper. It is not possible to analyze nuclear programmes solely on energy terms, given the security situation in the region.
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