VZCZCXRO8133
PP RUEHDE RUEHDIR
DE RUEHDO #0869/01 3520719
ZNR UUUUU ZZH
P 170719Z DEC 08
FM AMEMBASSY DOHA
TO RUEHC/SECSTATE WASHDC PRIORITY 8543
INFO RHMFISS/DEPT OF ENERGY WASHINGTON DC PRIORITY
RUEHUNV/USMISSION UNVIE VIENNA PRIORITY 0042
RUCPDOC/DEPT OF COMMERCE WASHINGTON DC PRIORITY
RUEHZM/GULF COOPERATION COUNCIL COLLECTIVE

UNCLAS SECTION 01 OF 03 DOHA 000869 
 
SIPDIS 
 
COMMERCE FOR SARAH LOPP 
STATE FOR MARC HUMPHREY 
 
E.O. 12958: N/A 
TAGS: ENRG TRGY BEXP BTIO QA
SUBJECT: QATAR'S PLANS TO PURSUE NUCLEAR ENERGY 
 
REF: A. SECSTATE 127423 
     ¶B. DOHA 827 
     ¶C. DOHA 456 
     ¶D. DOHA 87 
     ¶E. DOHA 45 
 
---------- 
KEY POINTS 
---------- 
 
-- Qatar is considering embarking on a civil nuclear power 
program, and the Qatar Foundation would soon like to start a 
nuclear education partnership with Texas A&M University, 
which already has a branch campus in Doha. 
 
-- U.S. cooperation in this field has thus far been limited 
because the GOQ has yet to sign an MOU on nuclear ooperation 
with us. 
 
-- Commercial opportunities for U.S. companies currently 
include feasibility studies and other contract services.  A 
Qatari decision to embark on a nuclear power program would 
open up the full range of associated commercial needs to U.S. 
firms. 
 
-- Qatar has only the beginnings of a regulatory framework 
for nuclear issues and no indigenous trained workforce in the 
nuclear field. 
 
-- Several foreign competitors are actively engaging Qatar on 
commercial nuclear issues, including France, Russia, Belgium, 
and Canada. 
 
End Key Points. 
 
--------------------------------------------- -- 
Overview of Qatar's Civil Nuclear Power Program 
--------------------------------------------- -- 
 
Note: The paragraphs below correspond to the specific 
questions contained in reftel. 
 
¶1. The GOQ is currently considering development of a nuclear 
power generation capacity.  Meanwhile, the quasi-governmental 
Qatar Foundation wants to build on its existing partnership 
with Texas A&M University to create an educational base for 
training Qataris in nuclear fields.  Qatar signaled its 
interest in this sector by hosting a Middle East and North 
Africa (MENA) Nuclear Energy Forum from November 10-11, 2008 
which brought together regional governments, multilateral 
organizations, and the nuclear industry.  The event was 
sponsored by Qatar General Electricity and Water Corporation 
(Kahramaa), Qatar Petroleum (QP), Thorium Power, Electricite 
de France (EDF), and ACWA International, with additional 
support from the Qatar Science and Technology Park.  There is 
reportedly a recommendation pending before the GOQ for a 
detailed study of the prospects of a national nuclear power 
program. 
 
-- Unlike other Gulf states, the U.S. does not yet have a 
nuclear MOU with Qatar.  The Secretary's Special Envoy for 
Nuclear Nonproliferation, Ambassador Jackie Wolcott, and 
accompanying teams visited Qatar in both June and November 
2008 and held discussions with GOQ officials on the MOU and a 
way forward on nuclear cooperation.  However, a final 
decision on the MOU remains pending with the GOQ.  A 
U.S.-Qatar MOU would first require Qatari ratification of a 
safeguards agreements with the IAEA. 
 
¶2. Qatar has several motivations for pursuing nuclear power. 
Though Qatar has the third-largest gas reserves in the world 
and well-developed energy infrastructure, it nonetheless sees 
value in energy diversification, particularly as its power 
demands have been growing by over 10 percent each year.  The 
Energy Minister stated at the MENA forum that Qatar was 
"reassessing the role that nuclear energy might play in (its) 
domestic energy mix."  Other officials have stated that 
Qatar's growing power needs and the moratorium on new gas 
projects has prompted the Ministry of Energy and Industry to 
examine nuclear power from a business potential.  However, 
the Ministry is still in the preliminary stages of creating a 
business model for how nuclear power might be harnessed in 
Qatar.  Qatar also sees other GCC countries, particularly the 
UAE, moving forward on nuclear plans and does not want to be 
left behind.  And beyond nuclear energy, some elements in the 
GOQ would like to see local development of a nuclear medicine 
program. 
 
DOHA 00000869  002 OF 003 
 
 
 
¶3. It is not clear how the government will finance or promote 
a civilian nuclear sector, but nuclear activities will likely 
be conducted via government-controlled entities, such as the 
public utilities.  As part of its vision of subsidizing and 
elevating Qatar's educational system, the Qatar Foundation 
hopes to bolster nuclear engineering programs to begin 
educating and training a generation of Qataris with 
sufficient skills and background in the field. 
 
¶4. Key nuclear decision-making bodies and officials include: 
 
-- Ministry of Energy and Industry.  Minister Abdullah Bin 
Hamad Al-Attiyah is the primary decision-maker for all 
aspects of Qatar's energy industry.  Manager of Corporate 
Planning Issa al-Ghanim is also closely involved in the 
Ministry's examination of nuclear power.  Al-Ghanim is also 
Vice Chairman of both Kahramaa and the separate Qatar 
Electricity and Water Company. 
 
-- Kahramaa (Qatar's main power and water utility).  Manager 
Yousuf Janahi has publicly represented the utility on this 
issue. 
 
-- The Ministry of Environment (formerly the Supreme Council 
for the Environment and Natural Reserves) will, according to 
its officials, have primary regulatory responsibility for 
nuclear matters.  Dr. Rashid Al-Kuwari is the Director of the 
Radiological Protection and Nuclear Energy Department. 
 
-- The Ministry of Foreign Affairs will be involved in legal 
matters related to Qatar's nuclear program.  The primary 
interlocutor for post so far has been MFA Director for Legal 
Affairs Ahmed Hassan Al-Hammadi.  Ultimately, the Amir Hamad 
Bin Khalifa Al Thani and Prime Minister and Foreign Minister 
Hamad Bin Jassim Al Thani will be the key decision-makers on 
approving any international agreements or conventions. 
 
-- Shaykha Mozah, the Amir's consort and Chair of Qatar 
Foundation, is the driving force behind QF's push to play the 
leading role in developing an indigenous human resources 
capability for nuclear energy.  Her Science and Technology 
Adviser, Dr. Tidu Maini, and the Science and Technology Park 
Managing Director, Dr. Eulian Roberts, are also key 
interlocutors. 
 
-- Qatar University Professor Ilham Al-Qaradawi has played a 
key liaison role with Texas A&M and advises the government on 
nuclear matters.  She is also a nuclear medicine technology 
consultant for hospitals on radioisotopes that would require 
production in Qatar. 
 
¶5. Qatar has an embryonic nuclear regulatory authority housed 
in the Ministry of Environment.  According to the Ministry, 
its authorities will include the conclusion of technical 
cooperation agreements, adoption of international 
conventions, and development of a strategic plan.  This 
primacy may not be recognized yet by other Qatari actors; in 
June 2008, QF representatives asked a USG inter-agency team 
if the U.S. could help Qatar establish a national regulatory 
authority. 
 
¶6. Qatar does not/not have a domestic nuclear liability law. 
 
¶7. Qatar does not/not have a manufacturing sector involved in 
nuclear-related products or services. 
 
¶8. Qatar has virtually no nuclear-trained indigenous 
workforce.  The development of civil nuclear power would 
require a significant foreign workforce, a key point 
recognized by the government.  The Ministry of Energy and 
Industry estimates that a single nuclear plant would require 
1000 associated personnel (600 operators and 400 regulators), 
a number that is unworkable under a Qatari-intensive 
workforce model.  The Qatar Foundation under Shaykha Mozah 
envisions its goal as building an indigenous Qatari human 
resources capacity in this area which would help fill this 
gap over the next two decades.  QF and the Ministry of 
Environment are beginning to look at programs for training 
domestic personnel.  Most notably, QF would like to enter 
into an educational partnership with Texas A&M University, 
but the university is waiting until the GOQ and USG sign a 
formal MOU on cooperation. 
 
------------------------------- 
Opportunities for U.S. Industry 
------------------------------- 
 
DOHA 00000869  003 OF 003 
 
 
 
¶9. Qatar currently has no known nuclear-related tenders, 
though this could change in the near future as the GOQ looks 
to undertake feasibility studies or other contract services. 
The tender/selection process would depend on the Qatari 
entity taking action, and could come from one or more of the 
Ministry of Energy and Industry, the Ministry of Environment, 
or the Qatar Foundation. 
 
¶10. At this stage, nuclear sector opportunities for U.S. 
businesses probably include feasibility studies and other 
contract services.  At the November nuclear energy forum, one 
Qatari official noted the GOQ would be engaging an outside 
consultant to study several preliminary questions for a 
nuclear power industry, including the ability of Qatar's grid 
to support a 1,000 MW nuclear power plant and finding a 
suitable site for it.  Over time, if Qatar decides to invest 
in a domestic industry, the opportunities would include the 
full spectrum of plant construction, management, logistics, 
operations, etc.  Any nuclear plants would likely be built 
using the same joint venture model Qatar uses for its major 
liquefied natural gas projects. 
 
¶11. The primary companies involved in Qatar's civil nuclear 
sector would be Qatar Petroleum, (the state-owned energy 
company), and Kahramaa (the power and water utility). 
 
------------------- 
Foreign Competitors 
------------------- 
 
¶12. Several other nuclear supplier countries are engaging 
Qatar; those known to the Embassy include France, Belgium, 
Canada, and Russia.  Political considerations would likely be 
a factor in Qatar's decision about which countries to 
cooperate with on nuclear supply. 
 
-- A Qatari delegation led by the Ministry of Energy and 
Industry Planning Director Issa al-Ghanim visited Russia and 
ROSATOM in October. 
 
-- France is interested in helping Qatar build and operate 
nuclear plants.  The French oil company Total and Electricite 
de France (EDF) reportedly held discussions with Qatar, and 
during President Sarkozy's January 2008 trip to Doha, the GOQ 
signed an MOU with EDF which includes nuclear cooperation as 
one aspect of their joint work. 
 
-- Qatar held technical discussions with a Belgian team in 
January 2008 and a team from the Ministry of Environment 
visited Belgium in June 2008. 
 
-- At the November nuclear energy forum, nuclear suppliers 
making presentations included Areva, EDF, Total, 
Suez-Tractebel, and Atomic Energy of Canada Limited (AECL). 
 
LeBaron