By Satish Kanady
DOHA: Nuclear power must be a strong energy option for Qatar to meet its ever-growing energy demand and to fulfil its commitment to sustainable development. As the neighbouring Abu Dhabi is set to launch the region’s first nuclear power plant in 2017 and Saudi Arabia in the making of its own nuclear plants, there is no point in Qatar, which is physically so close to these two countries, shying away from nuclear power, Lady Barbara Judge, former Chairperson of the United Kingdom Atomic Energy Authority, told The Peninsula in an interview.
“The GCC countries are perfect places to build nuclear power plants. Qatar is a country that needs a bouquet of energy resources. It’s not ideal for any country to rely on just one energy source”, she said during her recent Doha visit.
Lady Judge, who is currently the Deputy Chairperson of the Tepco Nuclear Reform Monitoring Committee and Chairperson of its Nuclear Safety Task Force, is actively involved in the upcoming Abu Dhabi nuclear power plant and was an Advisor to the launch of nuclear power plant in Jordan.
She recalled that it was almost seven years ago she first talked about the need for Qatar considering benefits of nuclear energy, at an event in Qatar. Abu Dhabi began working on it almost during the same year and it is now in the final phase of launching its power plant.
Things are fast changing. Every country needs an energy mix. Right now you may have got a lot of gas or oil. But there will be a day when these resources will run out. Never depend on one energy source, that’s dangerous and uneconomic… That’s why even the energy giants like Saudi are considering nuclear power.
It seems Qatar is overly concerned about the safety side of having a nuclear plant. But the fact is Saudi Arabia and Abu Dhabi are building nuclear plants, and Qatar is right in the middle. Fukushima was an accident…In fact, no source of energy is risk-free in the world, Lady Judge said.
Germany’s energy transition has created a lot of mess in that country’s energy sector. In the UK, we did not stop after Fukushima and we are in the process of launching more nuclear plants. China, India, Vietnam, Turkey… all these countries are in the process of building new nuclear power plants. “
Lady Judge said nuclear energy is the only real answer to the problem of Climate Change. Everybody knows that nuclear doesn’t emit carbon. “I strongly believe the world needs a bouquet of energy sources. It needs oil, it needs gas, it needs coal it needs renewable to make feel better about people about carbon emission it”.
On Qatar’s potential for solar energy, she commented: “ Yes, I think solar is excellent for this part of the world. You can always use it as a top up resource. But I don’t believe solar will solve the entire problems. It’s just one part of the solution”.
The Peninsula
