Iraq nuclear power storage base

Will Iraq have a nuclear energy programme?

Discussions centred on Iraq’s plans for a possible nuclear energy programme, including small modular reactors (SMRs), with strict adherence to non-proliferation norms. The country’s cancer care needs and decommissioning challenges were also discussed.

Does Iraq need nuclear power?

Iraq needs energy, but nuclear power is not the answer. In the short term, Iraq must rebuild its broken transmission and distribution system, overhaul the Ministry of Electricity’s fee collection system, and remove bottlenecks in the gas pipeline network to improve generation capacity.

Will Iraq build a nuclear reactor?

Iraq is working on a plan to build nuclear reactors as the electricity-starved petrostate seeks to end the widespread blackouts that have sparked social unrest. OPEC’s No. 2 oil producer – already suffering from power shortages and insufficient investment in aging plants – needs to meet an expected 50% jump in demand by the end of the decade.

Where were the nuclear facilities located in Baghdad?

All of these facilities were located at the Tuwaitha Nuclear Research Center near Baghdad, and with the exception of the Italian-supplied “hot cell” plutonium handling facility, were placed under IAEA safeguards.

Could nuclear power be a solution to Iraq's energy crisis?

Part of Iraq’s nation-building strategy is ensuring greater access to electricity, and Baghdad sees nuclear power as an attractive way to address this challenge. The proposed eight-reactor plan would provide the country with a steady 11 gigawatts of power, bridging the gap between supply and demand even during the hottest part of the year.

Was Iraq hiding a nuclear weapons program?

Iraq was reluctant to cooperate with international inspectors, however, which, coupled with then-President Saddam Hussein’s tendency to exaggerate his country’s weapons-of-mass-destruction capabilities, led US intelligence agencies to incorrectly assess that Iraq was hiding a nuclear weapons program.