Yemen gears up to go nuclear

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Yemen will finalise negotiations on the construction of the country’s first nuclear power plant next week, minister of electricity and energy Mustafa Bahra said on Saturday.

The country is currently in talks with American and Canadian companies interested in building and operating an atomic reactor.

Bahra also said he discussed Yemen’s nuclear program with Mohamed ElBaradei, director general of the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA), during IAEA's general conference of member states that finished on Friday in Vienna, reported state news agency Saba.

The Yemeni government is keen on setting up nuclear reactor for power generation and water desalination. The participating companies will run the nuclear power and desalination plants on a build-own-operate (BOO) basis.

Yemen, which experiences frequent blackouts and daily power shutdowns, is interested in finding ways to solve its energy problems to attract foreign investments to the country.

The government wants the foreign investors mainly to develop the country’s unutilised natural gas reserves, but an installed capacity of 1000 megawatt and a national power shortage of no less than 30% are seen as factors deterring investment.

The Yemen nuclear program has come in for criticism in the past due to the poor security level in the country. Others have challenged the government’s ability to dispose of nuclear waste.

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