276 L.-C. SIM
359
168
123
111
83
0
50
100
150
200
250
300
350
400
solar PV solar thermal nuclear
coal
gas
(combined
cycle)
Levelized cost of electricity (in US$) of selected
generaƟon technologies in 2009
Fig. 10.2 Levelized cost of electricity of selected generation technologies in
2009 (Source Levelized Cost of Electricity Analysis, Lazard, 2019)
The process eventually resulted in a White Paper on the Evaluation
and Development of Peaceful Nuclear Energy in April 2008. Other niche
technologies did not make much headway in the task force because the
technology was extremely costly at that time (solar) or the resource
was inadequate (wind); coal, though relatively cheap, did not meet the
committee’s criteria on emissions (see Fig. 10.2). The mandate of Abu
Dhabi’s Water and Electricity Agency, the emirate’s sole buyer of water
and electricity, to procure the most cost-efficient technology for water
and electricity further cemented the decision to adopt nuclear over solar
for baseload energy requirements.
Political Management of the Nuclear Commitment
In between the White Paper of 2008, the award of the Barakah project to
a South Korean-Westinghouse consortium in December 2009, through
the start of construction at Barakah in July 2012 and beyond, state
entities in the UAE worked tirelessly to forge enabling political coalitions. The latter was deemed necessary to sustain commitment since the
plant would take over a decade to complete. After all, reactor units at
the Zwentendorf nuclear plant in Austria and Kalkar in Germany were
359
168
123
111
83
0
50
100
150
200
250
300
350
400
solar PV solar thermal nuclear
coal
gas
(combined
cycle)
Levelized cost of electricity (in US$) of selected
generaƟon technologies in 2009
Fig. 10.2 Levelized cost of electricity of selected generation technologies in
2009 (Source Levelized Cost of Electricity Analysis, Lazard, 2019)
The process eventually resulted in a White Paper on the Evaluation
and Development of Peaceful Nuclear Energy in April 2008. Other niche
technologies did not make much headway in the task force because the
technology was extremely costly at that time (solar) or the resource
was inadequate (wind); coal, though relatively cheap, did not meet the
committee’s criteria on emissions (see Fig. 10.2). The mandate of Abu
Dhabi’s Water and Electricity Agency, the emirate’s sole buyer of water
and electricity, to procure the most cost-efficient technology for water
and electricity further cemented the decision to adopt nuclear over solar
for baseload energy requirements.
Political Management of the Nuclear Commitment
In between the White Paper of 2008, the award of the Barakah project to
a South Korean-Westinghouse consortium in December 2009, through
the start of construction at Barakah in July 2012 and beyond, state
entities in the UAE worked tirelessly to forge enabling political coalitions. The latter was deemed necessary to sustain commitment since the
plant would take over a decade to complete. After all, reactor units at
the Zwentendorf nuclear plant in Austria and Kalkar in Germany were