Saudi Gazette has an interesting, if far too brief piece on plans to eventually unite the entire Arab world in a single electrical grid. The GCC intends to have the Gulf States connected by 2010; later Saudi projects would also connect with Egypt, then the rest of the Arab world. Plans like this strongly suggest that moves toward nuclear energy have rational merit.

GCC POWER GRID

Saudi Arabia has a big share of the GCC’s annual average power consumption of nine per cent, which is triple the global figure

GCC countries require additional investment of SR4.5 trillion to bring their energy and infrastructure networks to a level which can support the economic diversification of the region, according to a report by Ithmar Capital.

The first phase of the GCC’s three-phase SR6 billion project to link member states’ electrical grids is scheduled to be finished by the end of next year as scheduled. Phase one will link the grids of Qatar, Saudi Arabia, Kuwait and Bahrain. The entire project is set to be completed by 2010.

Saudi Arabia is also embarking on grid-connectivity projects with Egypt and Yemen. Once the Saudi-Egyptian grid is completed, a pan-Arab grid is planned to link the GCC countries through Saudi Arabia with other Arab nations.

Also in Saudi Gazette is a piece that notes how the demand for electricity has soared in the GCC, at triple the rate of the rest of the world. The article, We waste, is a bit of a mishmash, seeking (unsuccessfully) to humanize the issue, but the statistics offered are sobering.