The federal law issued by President His Highness Shaikh Khalifa bin Zayed al Nahyan on Sunday to regulate the production and development of nuclear energy in the country is unique in many respects.

The law gives the go ahead to the establishment of the Federal Authority of Nuclear Regulation, an independent body charged with licencing, construction and operation of nuclear power plants and enforcing safety standards 
in the country.

The presidential order formally kick-starts the process of awarding the contracts for construction, development and maintenance of civilian nuclear plants in the country to one of the many consortia vying for the Dh150 billion deal.

However, the real story of this leap forward by the Middle East’s most happening and enterprising country is not about its ambitions to develop civilian nuclear energy. What is remarkable is the UAE’s resolve to keep its nuclear power programme totally above board and beyond the pale of all controversies and disputes.

The new law not only bans nuclear enrichment — the critical process which can be used to generate both nuclear power and produce nuclear weapons – but it also seeks to strictly regulate, monitor and prevent any abuse or theft of nuclear material. The federal nuclear authority or FANR, which has been given unprecedented extraordinary powers by the government, can deal with “unauthorised use, theft, transport or trade in nuclear materials” by handing out ‘harsh civil and criminal penalties’ to violators.

The UAE, by skipping the enrichment, has become the first signatory of the Non-Proliferation Treaty to voluntarily give up its right for nuclear enrichment. It will instead import the nuclear fuel from countries that can provide such fuel with the approval of the International Atomic Energy Agency. The crucial policy decision by the UAE, coming as it does at the height of neighbouring Iran’s nuclear confrontation with the West, comes as a whiff of fresh air. While the UAE is forced to go for the nuclear power option to meet its fast growing needs, it is obviously keen to address international concerns and sensitivities on the issue.  By seeking civilian nuclear option — mostly for generating electricity — and yet avoiding the critical enrichment process, the UAE has once again shown the way forward to others in the region.

According to government estimates, the demand for electricity in the country will increase by about 9 per cent annually through 2020 to hit 40,000 megawatts per year.  We obviously badly need alternate options to meet this demand of a burgeoning population. This is more or less the general state of affairs in the region, especially in countries with large populations like Saudi Arabia and Egypt. And nuclear power is a tempting and cheap option, if everyone is as fastidious as the UAE has been in its 
international commitments.