Nuclear energy best option for Gulf states: experts

0 Comments | AFP, May, 2008

DUBAI (AFP) — Nuclear power rather than renewable sources like the wind or sun are the best option for oil-rich Gulf Arab states to meet growing energy demands, especially if produced collectively, say regional experts.

"Renewable energies are (playing) only a very small part in supplying even those who started (developing them) a long time ago," Saudi Electricity Company president Ali Saleh al-Barrack told a conference in the United Arab Emirates on Monday.

He said that while Saudi Arabia was conducting research into renewable energies, options such as wind and solar power were either limited or less attractive for technical reasons.

Given the high demand for power and the population growth in the Gulf region, "I think the only immediate solution is nuclear...