UAE's Nuclear Program: Cleaner, Faster, More Transparent

⚡India Opens the Nuclear Vault: Private Players Invited to Power the Nation’s Future! 🇮🇳🔋 In a bold and historic move, Prime Minister Narendra Modi announced that India is officially opening its nuclear power sector to private companies, marking a major policy shift in the nation’s energy landscape. Speaking at the India-UK CEO Forum, Modi invited UK businesses to partner with India in green energy, critical minerals, and infrastructure development, saying: > “We are opening up the nuclear power sector to the private sector… I invite you to join India on this development journey.” --- 🚀 A New Energy Era Begins India’s energy ambitions are nothing short of massive: 500 GW of renewable energy by 2030 1,800 GW by 2047 100 GW of nuclear energy by 2047 — up from just 8.1 GW today (barely 2% of India’s total power capacity) To accelerate this, the Budget FY26 introduced a ₹20,000 crore Nuclear Energy Mission focused on research and development of Small Modular Reactors (SMRs) — a next-generation, safer, and cost-effective nuclear technology. --- 🏗️ Private Sector Steps In With the upcoming amendments to the Atomic Energy Act (1962) and the Civil Liability for Nuclear Damage Act (2010), private companies will finally be allowed to generate nuclear power — something that’s been off-limits for over six decades. Now, a wave of Indian giants is gearing up: NTPC aims to add 30 GW of nuclear capacity by 2047, partnering with NuScale Power, Westinghouse, Holtec International, and Rosatom. L&T and Tata Consulting Engineers are exploring tie-ups with Holtec for SMR development. Tata Power is in talks with multiple states (Odisha, MP, Gujarat) to secure land for nuclear plants. IndianOil has also announced plans to enter the nuclear space soon. Currently, NPCIL (Nuclear Power Corporation of India) is the only company operating nuclear power plants. But this shift could soon bring public-private collaboration that revolutionizes the sector. --- ⚛️ Why This Matters India’s nuclear expansion is about more than power generation — it’s about energy security, clean growth, and technological sovereignty. With fossil fuel dependence declining and renewable integration rising, nuclear power could be the steady, zero-emission backbone of India’s future grid. However, challenges remain — from safety concerns and high capital costs to global technology transfers and liability frameworks. --- 💬 Your Turn: Do you think private sector participation can make India’s nuclear dream a reality? Or will regulatory and financial hurdles slow the progress? 👇 Share your thoughts in the comments! And don’t forget to follow K. Gabrial for more insights on India’s energy, economy, and tech transformation! 🌏✨ #IndiaNuclearRevolution #Modi #EnergyTransition #GreenIndia #NuclearPower #CleanEnergy #PrivateSector #India2047 #NTPC #TataPower #Holtec #RenewableEnergy #GabrialInsights

▪️IAEA Nuclear Infrastructure Issue #9: Electrical Grid Nuclear power plants (NPPs) are unique compared to other generation sources: they produce large, steady baseload electricity, require highly reliable transmission systems, and must operate within robust, stable grids. Nuclear units can exceed 1,000 MW. Therefore, a national grid must be capable of: • Absorbing sudden changes in power flow without widespread outages. • Maintaining frequency and voltage stability under both normal and fault conditions. • Interconnecting with regional grids to share reserves and balance demand. The IAEA Nuclear Energy Series NG-T-3.9; provides detailed recommendations on grid stability, reliability, minimum load thresholds, redundancy, and interface requirements between NPPs and transmission networks. ▪️Phase 1 : Considerations Before a Decision to Launch a Nuclear Power Programme At this stage, the focus is on understanding the implications of introducing a nuclear plant into the existing grid. Key activities include: • Conducting initial grid assessments to determine current capacity, stability, and interconnections. • Evaluating whether the grid can absorb a typical nuclear unit. • Identifying gaps and preparing a grid strengthening roadmap. ▪️Phase 2; Preparatory Work for Contracting and Construction With a policy decision made, the country must: 1️⃣Undertake detailed load flow and stability studies to assess how nuclear power will integrate. 2️⃣Define the technical requirements for grid codes, redundancy, and reserve capacity. 3️⃣Strengthen institutional coordination between the nuclear energy programme, regulators, and transmission utilities. By the end of Phase 2, the grid operator should demonstrate that it can meet the IAEA reliability standards necessary for safe plant operation. ▪️Phase 3 – Construction to Commissioning of the First NPP • During construction and commissioning, the grid must be fully prepared to support safe plant startup, operation, and emergency response. This includes: • Completing necessary infrastructure upgrades (new transmission lines, substations, and reserve capacity). • Establishing real-time monitoring systems to maintain stability. • Training grid operators and plant staff on nuclear-grid interface protocols. • Strengthening regional interconnections to enable load sharing and stability. 🚀In Africa, Egypt 🇪🇬is upgrading its grid for the El Dabaa project, while South Africa 🇿🇦builds on Koeberg’s experience and strengthens links through the Southern Africa Power Pool (SAPP). Ghana 🇬🇭 , Kenya 🇰🇪 , Ouganda 🇺🇬 and Nigeria 🇳🇬 are assessing grid capacity for future nuclear units, and countries like Rwanda 🇷🇼 and Senegal🇸🇳 are exploring regional interconnections. These steps highlight how grid readiness is advancing across the continent to enable nuclear energy. #Nuclear #Africa #CleanEnergy #IAEA #EnergyTransition #AAPN #GridIntegration

State Atomic Energy Corporation Rosatom, participating in African Energy Week 2025 (AEW 2025) in South Africa, in early October 2025, engaged Africa energy experts, entrepreneurs and politicians on the adoption of floating nuclear plants, while underscoring its enduring commitment to forging long-term partnerships and delivering effective energy solutions across the African continent. Recent survey indicated that African countries are showing increasing interest in nuclear energy, including advanced technologies such as Russian floating power units (FPUs). The leaders embrace nuclear power as a solution to persistent energy crisis which challenges development in an era of this global change. The leaders express sentiments over nuclear energy as the right investment to help most African countries achieve 100 percent electrification, and also as the driver of changing the livelihood of the people. On records, the Director General of the State Corporation Rosatom, A.E. Likhachev, and many senior officials, unreservedly mentioned Russia’s preparedness to provide its nuclear technology, train specialists, establish research facilities for African countries. In July 2023, for instance, was the most recent guarantee given by Vladimir Putin. He indicated, in his speech, that Russian companies are implementing new mutually beneficial projects to meet the growing demands of Africans for fuel and electricity generation capacity. And that this collaboration would provide Africa with access to affordable, reliable, sustainable, and environmentally-friendly sources. Undoubtedly, Likhachev Alexey, Director General of the State Atomic Energy Corporation, Rosatom, reiterated that Russia is currently involved in developing about 30 energy projects in 16 African countries. Russian energy companies offer a wide range of services to African partners – from the design and supply of equipment to the modernization and construction of new turnkey generation facilities. In terms of financing nuclear energy, Kelvin Kemm, a nuclear physicist and former chairman of the South African Nuclear Energy Corporation (NECSA), and current Chairman of Stratek Global, a nuclear project management company based in Pretoria, South Africa, says many leaders are now seeing a steady visible movement towards nuclear power across the globe. This movement is accelerating. This is particularly true of African countries who more and more are realising that Small Modular Reactors are their path to prosperity. Small Modular Reactor should be pursued with vigour. South African Kelvin Kemm, however, argues that an energy mix should be implemented such that it is effective from an engineering perspective, and is also economically genuinely productive. Africa is now advancing the nuclear agenda not only by announcing the planned building of a new large nuclear power station, but also by supporting the introduction of Small Modular Reactors. Vladimir Aptekarev, Deputy Director General of

oilprice.com Restart of Huge Nuclear ☢️ Power Plant Faces Backlash in Japan 🇯🇵 Alternative Energy by Charles Kennedy 👉Local residents and anti-nuclear activists in Japan 🇯🇵 oppose the restart of one of the world’s biggest nuclear ☢️ power plants and its operator’s plan to invest money in revitalizing the regional economy. ➡️ Tokyo Electric Power Company (TEPCO), which also operated the nuclear plant in Fukushima prior to the 2011 disaster, has planned for years to restart the Kashiwazaki Kariwa power plant in the Niigata Prefecture. ➡️ But the company faces backlash over its restart plans and proposals from August this year to “contribute monetarily to vitalizing the regional economy,” and invest in projects to contribute to improving safety and security. ➡️ TEPCO’s monetary proposal is for the creation of a $667 million (100 billion yen) fund for the benefit of Niigata prefecture, Nikkei Asia reported last week. ➡️ Anti-nuclear activists have slammed the proposal as a “bribery” of the local residents to accept the restart of the Kashiwazaki Kariwa plant. ➡️ “This is a step forward for Tepco because they really want to restart the plant and the scale of the offer shows that,” Hajime Matsukubo , secretary general of the Tokyo based Citizens’ Nuclear Information Center, told This Week in Asia. “But this is simply bribery,” Matsukubo added. ➡️ Opinion polls suggest that local residents are split on whether TEPCO Should be allowed to restart the nuclear power plant. In the wake of the Fukushima disaster in 2011.Japan closed all its nuclear power plants, and conducted rigorous safety checks and inspections. ➡️ Since 2015, Japan has restarted 14 reactors, while 11 others are currently in the process of restart approval. ➡️ Kashiwazaki Kariwa has been offline since 2012, while the Nuclear Regulation Authority in 2021 barred the plant’s operator, TEPCO, from operating the facility due to safety breaches. The regulator lifted the operational ban on Kashiwazaki Kariwa in December 2023, paving the way for the restart. ➡️ But the restart still needs the approval of the Niigata prefecture, the city of Kashiwazaki, and the village of Kashiwa to resume operations. In an address to a committee at the Niigata prefectural Tomoaki Kobayakawa said the operator aims to restart reactor No 6 and would consider decommissioning reactors No 1 and No 2. ➡️ The backlash against the restart of one of the biggest nuclear power plants in the World 🌎 highlights Japan’s dilemma of how to ensure a stable energy supply while reducing emissions, as it has pledged. Restarting additional nuclear reactors would do the trick, but the country still faces negative public opinion and high concerns about safety, especially in the areas close to nuclear power plants. ➡️ Still, the share of fossil fuels in Japan’s power supply slumped to the lowest on record in the first half 2025, as nuclear and solar electricity generation is growing.

"African countries have identified nuclear energy as a promising energy source, and the United States should listen to its African partners. African countries do not want to be beholden to Beijing or Moscow, but Washington must offer competitive alternatives. The United States is well-positioned to do so with the advent of SMRs, but it must make better use of its tools to scale its current efforts." - Liam Karr I couldn't agree more. Just today, as part of his Mashujaa Day celebrations address, President Ruto of Kenya reiterated his country's commitment to unlocking the power of nuclear energy for the mass industrialization it badly needs to deal with the pressing youth unemployment problem it's facing. The same pressure is true for my own country, Uganda, that is also determined to have its first nuclear plant up and running at its Buyende site within the next decade. However, both of these East African countries are partnering with Russia's state-owned energy company Rosatom to achieve their nuclear ambitions and that's largely because the US has for one reason or the other, chosen to cede this ground. For example, after last year's edition in Nairobi, this year's U.S.-Africa Nuclear Energy Summit was supposed to be held in Kigali some time in July. However, I haven't heard a peep about it. What happened? 🤷🏾♂️ https://lnkd.in/dwK_VX4a

The UK’s nuclear renaissance is gaining momentum, but smarter, proportionate regulation is key to turning ambition into reality. Enabling clean energy, via nuclear power and by other means, requires balanced regulation to achieve energy security and ambitious growth in the UK. Read our latest blog post discussing this below!

Ghana could be West Africa’s first nuclear power nation, if it gets the deals right! With high energy sector debt and costly power the country faces a rare chance to reset as the World Bank lifts its nuclear financing ban. Done right, nuclear could deliver affordable, low-carbon power for Ghana — and abundance across West Africa. Done wrong, it risks repeating the costly mistakes of past power deals. The key? Ishmael Ackah,Ph.D and I recommend smart, transparent deals that will deliver affordable energy for decades to come. https://lnkd.in/eTPmsmsj

TEPCO mulls scrapping some older reactors at Niigata Pref. nuclear plant Tokyo Electric Power Company Holdings Inc. (TEPCO) is considering decommissioning some of the older reactors at its Kashiwazaki-Kariwa nuclear power plant in Niigata Prefecture, where all seven reactors are currently offline. The plan, focusing on the two oldest units—No. 1 and No. 2—will be presented to the prefecture's assembly soon. TEPCO aims to restart reactors No. 6 and No. 7, which have passed safety inspections by the Nuclear Regulation Authority. TEPCO President Tomoaki Kobayakawa is scheduled to discuss this plan at an assembly meeting on October 16. The utility also plans to propose establishing a regional economic fund with initial funding potentially reaching 100 billion yen ($654 million) to support the local economy. The Kashiwazaki-Kariwa plant, with seven reactors, has a combined capacity of 8.21 million kilowatts, making it one of the largest nuclear power sites globally. Public concern over reactor safety at Kashiwazaki-Kariwa has risen since the 2011 Fukushima Daiichi disaster. The mayor of Kashiwazaki has requested that TEPCO decommission at least one reactor among units 1 to 5 in exchange for permitting reactor restarts. TEPCO has already decided to decommission all reactors at the Fukushima Daiichi and Fukushima Daini plants but has yet to make a formal decision regarding decommissioning at Kashiwazaki-Kariwa. #AsiaRisk #CriticalInfrastructureFailure #Japan https://lnkd.in/gwdncXjj

France increases nuclear power production, Germany has none left on the grid. One calls it independence, the other — progress. Who's right? France launched the €45 billion "Grand Carénage" reactor-upgrade plan in 2008 and followed with a €60 billion programme for new builds in 2022. Environmentalists criticise France for slow renewable expansion and limits on solar land use. Germany's Energiewende closed all reactors; conservatives still fault the 2011 government for yielding to green-lobby pressure. Why two biggest EU's economies have so different relationship with nuclear power? The debate is not only ideological. It's structural: the two largest EU economies built their energy systems on different foundations. Merkel's government didn't end Germany's nuclear era — it briefly extended reactor lifespans, then revoked that decision in 2011. The original 2001 phase-out stemmed from rising nuclear costs and the falling price of renewables. Germany's privately owned, one-of-a-kind reactors required costly safety and analogue-system upgrades, making upkeep uneconomic. The shift was driven as much by economics as by ecology. France took the opposite path: state-owned EDF built its fleet after the 1970s oil crisis, when nuclear power was cheap and domestic uranium met demand. Energy independence and cost stability guided the choice. Today, about 70% of France's electricity is nuclear. The sector supports hundreds of thousands of jobs, extensive R&D, and national prestige. Since 2001 France imports uranium but invests heavily in recycling for autonomy. Aware of rising costs, EDF pursues efficiency, small modular reactors (SMR) like Nuward, and aims for 40% renewables by 2030 — achieving a fully no-carbon mix. France can afford to extend its nuclear fleet only because it is state-owned. EDF can borrow cheaply, plan decades ahead, and absorb costs that would bankrupt private utilities. But this privilege has limits: ageing reactors grow costlier to maintain, and new large plants are prohibitively expensive. France will eventually need a cheaper nuclear model. That next step may be SMR — compact units manufactured on production lines rather than built one by one. They promise lower capital costs, faster rollout, and a chance to keep nuclear power viable without the burden of colossal megaprojects. Both neighbours made the right choices for their realities. France's state monopoly can borrow cheaply and plan long-term; Germany's competitive market could not, and moved toward cheaper renewables. France's model sustains nuclear independence; Germany's finds freedom in renewables.

#Ethiopia deepens nuclear alliance with #Russia to transform Africa’s energy future Ethiopia has signed a nuclear energy cooperation deal with Russia, a major step in its bid to diversify power supplies and tackle persistent electricity shortages. The agreement, signed Thursday in Moscow between Russian state nuclear corporation Rosatom and Ethiopian Electric Power, was exchanged by Rosatom CEO Alexei Likhachev and Ethiopian Foreign Minister Gedeon Timothy in the presence of President Vladimir Putin and Prime Minister Abiy Ahmed. The accord, described as an “action plan,” is designed to advance Ethiopia’s long-term nuclear programme. Officials say it will support rising demand for reliable, clean energy and reduce dependence on hydropower. “Ethiopia is taking concrete steps to use nuclear technology for peaceful purposes,” Abiy told the World Atomic Week conference in Russia. “Our goal is clear – the nuclear programme that Ethiopia wants to build is safe, transparent, and exemplary.” #Building beyond hydropower: Ethiopia already relies heavily on renewable energy, including the Grand Ethiopian Renaissance Dam (GERD) – Africa’s largest hydroelectric project -alongside wind and solar projects. But officials say those sources remain insufficient for the country’s ambitions. “Nuclear technology offers additional advantages, including food security applications, medical technology, and water management,” Abiy said. Russia, which has more than 80 years of nuclear experience, pledged technical support and training for Ethiopian specialists. Under the deal, the two countries will cooperate on nuclear infrastructure, legal frameworks, and human resource training. Plans also include a Nuclear Science and Technology Center in Ethiopia to promote research and build capacity. #A strategic pathway: Ethiopia, home to more than 130 million people, is one of Africa’s fastest-growing economies but still faces severe power shortages that limit industrial growth and rural electrification. The government views nuclear power as “a strategic pathway to expand energy access, support industrialisation, and position the country as a hub for science and innovation on the continent.” Abiy underscored that the programme would be developed in close collaboration with the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) to ensure compliance with global safety standards. Good Luck, a policy commentator, said the agreement underlined Ethiopia's determination. “We will pursue every available avenue to secure prosperity for our people, and we are grateful to have a government that champions this cause,” Gaarii said. The deal also signals Moscow’s growing footprint in Africa’s energy sector, expanding its influence in a region where major powers are competing for strategic partnerships. #Ethiopia #Russia #NuclearEnergy #Africa #EnergySecurity #Rosatom #IAEA #RenewableEnergy #CleanEnergy #Infrastructure #Geopolitics #Innovation #MichaelMasrie