Something old, something new, something borrowed...

After doing some googleing last night I have come to realize that there is one issue that is always controversial no matter where you are located on the globe. And by this I mean the issue of Nuclear Power.

The United Arab Emirates (UEA) is planning to build the Emirate's first nuclear power plant in Abu Dhabi by the year 2020 in order to meet the national power requirement. The plant will be built in three phases: the first phase is planned to be ready in 2017, followed by the second and third phases in 2018 and 2019. The UEA government has forecasted that natural gas supplies, which is the primary power source in the UEA, will not be sufficient to meet the future demand and that is why it is necessary for the nation’s development to move to nuclear energy.

The use of nuclear energy is a current issue in Finland, too. In Finland there has been on-going debate over the past few years about whether to build more nuclear power plants in Finland or not. Several environmental organizations such as Greenpeace have been active in the public discussion and critically analyzed the safety aspects of nuclear energy. Scanning and monitoring such public discussions and concerns is a good example of how PR works: the core of the nuclear energy debate is to understand and to listen to each party’s point of view.

In order to oversee nuclear safety and security, the UAE has set up the Federal Authority for Nuclear Regulation "We totally understand the utmost importance of safety and security in using nuclear energy for peaceful purposes," said authority chairman Ahmad Mubarak al-Mazrouie. "We are committed to our role in guaranteeing the benefits of nuclear energy... in such a way that does not impact public safety or the environment," he was quoted as saying. I bet Mister al-Mazrouie has had some advice from a PR specialist before giving those statements. (Statements taken from nuclearpowerdaily.com)

Even though the Arab world may seem as being something mystical in the eyes of an European, the local PR practitioners struggle with the same issues and dilemmas as their European collegues. I guess it is sort of comforting to learn that the two worlds are not that different after all.

Written by: Elina