By Awadh Zabanout -
MUSCAT — Experts have voiced their concern of fossil fuel running out and the prices of oil and gas are expected to rise to unprecedented levels due to large consumption which may lead to an international energy crisis in the next decades.
Concerned over other factors such as the climate change and global warming, many countries are now striving to generate alternative energies and are developing plans to harness the renewable energy sources and nuclear power.
The next decades will see the fossil fuel contributing less than 60 per cent of the total energy consumption while the reliance on alternative energy will rise to 20 per cent and the nuclear power to 25 per cent, said Dr Ahmed bin Dhufar al Rawas, associate professor at the College of Science, Sultan Qaboos University.
The use of nuclear power for peaceful purposes, said Al Rawas, will become the centre of attention all countries in the next decades as an essential contributor in sustainable development.
Studies conducted by the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) have revealed that the reliance on nuclear power will rise substantially in the next decades with the expected increase of population particularly in the developing countries. Studies conducted during the last decade have shown that nuclear energy will be best choice for fuelling the socio-economic development in line with the Kyoto Protocol.
As a developing nation with a majority of young population the Sultanate is facing the challenge of providing large quantities of power to cater to the burgeoning need of power. The projected industrial growth in the Sultanate will raise the demand for non-conventional power as the electricity power will not be enough to meet such huge demand.
