Bahrain eyes nuclear power by 2017: report
And plans to privatize its power distribution
Gulf Arab state Bahrain plans to use nuclear power by 2017 and is considering privatizing power distribution, a government minister said in remarks published on Wednesday.
The Gulf Cooperation Council -- a loose economic and political alliance of six Gulf Arab states -- said in 2007 it was studying a joint nuclear program to meet rising power demand.
The United Arab Emirates last year awarded a South Korean consortium a contract to build four nuclear power plants and top oil explorer Saudi Arabia is also exploring nuclear energy.
"It will be some time before we can adopt nuclear sources here in Bahrain as experts have to be brought in, designs prepared and facilities built, but our plan is to have it by 2017," Fahmi al-Jawder, minister for electricity and water affairs, was quoted as saying in the Gulf Daily News.
Bahrain is a small producer of oil and gas. A close ally of the United States, it needs to find new sources of energy to meet demand in a growing economy.
It is currently building the 1,200 megawatt Al Dur power and water plant, in which France GDF Suez holds a 45 percent stake.
Jawder said Bahrain also planned to privatize power distribution in the long term.
"We have also privatized power production and there are plans to privatize distribution, but they are not in our immediate agenda," he said.
Bahrain is facing rising fiscal deficits, partially due to its subsidies on power, water and fuel.