As others have explained, generating electric power through nuclear energy made no practical economic sense to Arab countries that are rich in oil and gas deposits. Oil and Gas electric plants are much, much cheaper than Nuclear power plants that are more expensive to build and operate. Moreover, nuclear power plants come with the additional baggage of a lot of international scrutiny.

However, with alarms being raised over the probable depletion of oil and gas in the next few centuries, the momentum that "green energy" has gained in last few decades, and the major concern of the Arab countries to provide drinking water to their citizens through electric-powered desalination plants the Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC) has been exploring how they could utilise nuclear energy:

In December 2006 the six member states of the GCC – Kuwait, Saudi Arabia, Bahrain, the UAE, Qatar and Oman – announced that the Council was commissioning a study on the peaceful uses of nuclear energy. France agreed to work with them on this, and Iran pledged assistance with nuclear technology. In February 2007 the six states agreed with the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) to cooperate on a feasibility study for a regional nuclear power and desalination programme. Saudi Arabia was leading the investigation. Regional electricity grid integration is progressing.

This ultimately culminated in the UAE receiving IAEA and US approval to establish a nuclear power plant in Barakah, UAE:

• The UAE has embarked upon a nuclear power programme in close consultation with the International Atomic Energy Agency, and with huge public support.
• It accepted a $20 billion bid from a South Korean consortium to build four commercial nuclear power reactors, total 5.6 GWe, by 2020 at Barakah.
• Unit 1 of the country's first nuclear power plant was connected to the grid in August 2020, followed by unit 2 in September 2021 and unit 3 in October 2022.

The UAE expects that the four 1400 MWe nuclear units at Barakah will produce 25% of its electricity at a quarter the cost of that from gas. It plans to export electricity to Gulf neighbours via the regional power grid.

The other GCC countries are in various stages of preparation and getting approval to establish their own nuclear power plants.

Source:

1. Nuclear Power in the United Arab Emirates
2. U.S.-UAE Agreement for Peaceful Nuclear Cooperation (123 Agreement)

As others have explained, generating electric power through nuclear energy made no practical economic sense to Arab countries that are rich in oil and gas deposits. Oil and Gas electric plants are much, much cheaper than Nuclear power plants that are more expensive to build and operate. Moreover, nuclear power plants come with the additional baggage of a lot of international scrutiny.

However, with alarms being raised over the probable depletion of oil and gas in the next few centuries, the momentum that "green energy" has gained in last few decades, and the major concern of the Arab countries to provide drinking water to their citizens through electric-powered desalination plants the Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC) has been exploring how they could utilise nuclear energy:

In December 2006 the six member states of the GCC – Kuwait, Saudi Arabia, Bahrain, the UAE, Qatar and Oman – announced that the Council was commissioning a study on the peaceful uses of nuclear energy. France agreed to work with them on this, and Iran pledged assistance with nuclear technology. In February 2007 the six states agreed with the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) to cooperate on a feasibility study for a regional nuclear power and desalination programme. Saudi Arabia was leading the investigation. Regional electricity grid integration is progressing.

This ultimately culminated in the UAE receiving IAEA and US approval to establish a nuclear power plant in Barakah, UAE, which is already operational:

• The UAE has embarked upon a nuclear power programme in close consultation with the International Atomic Energy Agency, and with huge public support.
• It accepted a $20 billion bid from a South Korean consortium to build four commercial nuclear power reactors, total 5.6 GWe, by 2020 at Barakah.
• Unit 1 of the country's first nuclear power plant was connected to the grid in August 2020, followed by unit 2 in September 2021 and unit 3 in October 2022.

The UAE expects that the four 1400 MWe nuclear units at Barakah will produce 25% of its electricity at a quarter the cost of that from gas. It plans to export electricity to Gulf neighbours via the regional power grid.

The other GCC countries are in various stages of preparation and getting approval to establish their own nuclear power plants.

Source:

1. Nuclear Power in the United Arab Emirates
2. U.S.-UAE Agreement for Peaceful Nuclear Cooperation (123 Agreement)

As others have explained, generating nuclear power through nuclear energy made no practical economic sense to Arab countries that are rich in oil and gas deposits. Oil and Gas electric plants are much, much cheaper than Nuclear power plants that are more expensive to build and operate. Moreover, nuclear power plants come with the additional baggage of a lot of international scrutiny.

However, with alarms being raised over the probable depletion of oil and gas in the next few centuries, the momentum that "green energy" has gained in last few decades, and the major concern of the Arab countries to provide drinking water to their citizens through the electric powered desalination plants the Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC) has been exploring how they could utilise nuclear energy:

In December 2006 the six member states of the GCC – Kuwait, Saudi Arabia, Bahrain, the UAE, Qatar and Oman – announced that the Council was commissioning a study on the peaceful uses of nuclear energy. France agreed to work with them on this, and Iran pledged assistance with nuclear technology. In February 2007 the six states agreed with the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) to cooperate on a feasibility study for a regional nuclear power and desalination programme. Saudi Arabia was leading the investigation. Regional electricity grid integration is progressing.

This ultimately culminated in the UAE receiving IAEA and US approval to establish a nuclear power plant in Barakah, UAE:

• The UAE has embarked upon a nuclear power programme in close consultation with the International Atomic Energy Agency, and with huge public support.
• It accepted a $20 billion bid from a South Korean consortium to build four commercial nuclear power reactors, total 5.6 GWe, by 2020 at Barakah.
• Unit 1 of the country's first nuclear power plant was connected to the grid in August 2020, followed by unit 2 in September 2021 and unit 3 in October 2022.

The UAE expects that the four 1400 MWe nuclear units at Barakah will produce 25% of its electricity at a quarter the cost of that from gas. It plans to export electricity to Gulf neighbours via the regional power grid.

The other GCC countries are in various stages of preparation and getting approval to establish their own nuclear power plants.

Source:

1. Nuclear Power in the United Arab Emirates
2. U.S.-UAE Agreement for Peaceful Nuclear Cooperation (123 Agreement)

As others have explained, generating electric power through nuclear energy made no practical economic sense to Arab countries that are rich in oil and gas deposits. Oil and Gas electric plants are much, much cheaper than Nuclear power plants that are more expensive to build and operate. Moreover, nuclear power plants come with the additional baggage of a lot of international scrutiny.

However, with alarms being raised over the probable depletion of oil and gas in the next few centuries, the momentum that "green energy" has gained in last few decades, and the major concern of the Arab countries to provide drinking water to their citizens through electric-powered desalination plants the Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC) has been exploring how they could utilise nuclear energy:

In December 2006 the six member states of the GCC – Kuwait, Saudi Arabia, Bahrain, the UAE, Qatar and Oman – announced that the Council was commissioning a study on the peaceful uses of nuclear energy. France agreed to work with them on this, and Iran pledged assistance with nuclear technology. In February 2007 the six states agreed with the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) to cooperate on a feasibility study for a regional nuclear power and desalination programme. Saudi Arabia was leading the investigation. Regional electricity grid integration is progressing.

This ultimately culminated in the UAE receiving IAEA and US approval to establish a nuclear power plant in Barakah, UAE:

• The UAE has embarked upon a nuclear power programme in close consultation with the International Atomic Energy Agency, and with huge public support.
• It accepted a $20 billion bid from a South Korean consortium to build four commercial nuclear power reactors, total 5.6 GWe, by 2020 at Barakah.
• Unit 1 of the country's first nuclear power plant was connected to the grid in August 2020, followed by unit 2 in September 2021 and unit 3 in October 2022.

The UAE expects that the four 1400 MWe nuclear units at Barakah will produce 25% of its electricity at a quarter the cost of that from gas. It plans to export electricity to Gulf neighbours via the regional power grid.

The other GCC countries are in various stages of preparation and getting approval to establish their own nuclear power plants.

Source:

1. Nuclear Power in the United Arab Emirates
2. U.S.-UAE Agreement for Peaceful Nuclear Cooperation (123 Agreement)