After 12 years of discussions and negotiations, the United Arab Emirates (UAE) has finally been given the green light to operate the world’s first nuclear power plant in the Arab world. The Barakah nuclear power plant will ensure that the UAE will join the club from only 30 countries in the world that have nuclear power.

The UAE is also becoming the first country to join the Nuclear Club in the last thirty years after China did so in 1990.

Authorities say the electricity generated by the nuclear power plant will account for 25% of the country’s energy needs. The funding comes from the UAE and South Korea.

Matthew Bunn, a nuclear energy expert and Professor of Practice at Harvard University’s John F. Kennedy School of Government, explains that the UAE has carried out security controls and agreed to a number of conditions to realize their nuclear dreams.

“The UAE has taken, I think, a pretty responsible approach”, said Matthew Bunn. “Essentially, they realized when they started that they would be the first Arab state with nuclear power and that would upset people. That’s why they decided to sign up to every international convention that exists”, added he. In particular, the country entered into a legally binding agreement with the United States, agreeing never to initiate a process of uranium enrichment or plutonium processing, the two technologies that are key to the production of a nuclear bomb.

However, concerns about safety as well as about the environment and the workforce are still circulating. While the type of reactors under construction do not work with material that could be used to make a nuclear bomb, there remains a fear that terrorists may sabotage the plant. And despite the assurances given, a nuclear facility in the Arabian Peninsula is increasing the range of nuclear weapons in the region. While the UAE is committed to never pursuing such a goal, “in the wider Middle East, not everyone is ready to make that commitment”, said Matthew Bunn.

The Saudis, meanwhile, have said they will build several nuclear power plants for energy purposes, though they have not yet begun construction and have not signed any contracts. They are unwilling to provide the guarantees the UAE has given.

The question remains why so many oil and gas-rich countries would want nuclear power. The UAE says they want to export oil and natural gas to make money and use something else to produce domestic electricity. But they do not clarify why the country is focusing on nuclear energy rather than solar parks, for example, where production prices, unlike nuclear ones, are falling.

For Matthew Bunn, this was partly due to the UAE’s idea of ​​gaining the country a nuclear club status, as well as the emirates’ desire to encourage the training of local nuclear science experts.