The UAE could become the first Gulf state to harness nuclear energy to generate power, reported the Gulf News on Sunday.
The announcement came after a meeting between two visiting Russian scientists and UAE officials on the transfer of nuclear technology from Russia to the UAE, said Evgeny Velikhov, president of the Kurchatov Russian Scientific Center.
He said that in the long term, when the country's oil and gas reserves began to run out, the UAE would have no choice but to use nuclear technology to meet its energy needs.
The Russian delegation has held talks with the UAE Offsets Group, the Abu Dhabi Chamber of Commerce and Industry, and the Private Department of UAE leader Sheikh Zayed bin Sultan Al Nahyan, said the paper.
Velikhov said the delegation came to the UAE to open new avenues in the region for the transfer of power, oil and gas technology.
"The talks were very encouraging and we hope to continue our cooperation with the UAE to offer Russian technology in power, oil and gas," said Velikhov, one of the architects of the former Soviet Union's nuclear industry.
He said Russia had developed technology to produce power from seawater using nuclear fusion.
"The technology is very useful for the region for the long term. For the fusion we use hydrogen, and there is plenty of it in seawater." – Albawaba.com
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