Opinion: Why is UAE about to open four nuclear reactors’

Writing in The Conversation, Dr Paul Dorfman (UCL Energy Institute) considers UAE's decision to build four nuclear reactors despite being an area where solar energy is abundant. The United Arab Emirates (UAE) is building the world's  largest concentrated solar power plant , capable of generating 700 megawatts. During daylight, solar power will provide cheap electricity, and  at night the UAE  will use stored solar heat to generate electricity. But at the same time, four nuclear reactors  are nearing completion  in the UAE, built by the South Korean Electric Power Corporation, KEPCO. The nuclear power plant is named Barakah - Arabic for divine blessing. The UAE's investment in these four  nuclear reactors risks  further destabilising the volatile Gulf region, damaging the environment and raising the possibility of nuclear proliferation. Safety flaws - The UAE nuclear contract remains South Korea's one and only export order, despite attempts by KEPCO to win contracts in Lithuania, Turkey, Vietnam and  the UK.