A systematic methodology approach for selecting preferable and alternative sites for the first NPP project in Yemen

The purpose of this paper is to present the results of the first siting study that was performed to investigate the availability of sites for a 1000 MWt nuclear power plant (NPP) project in Yemen. Only about thirty eight percent of the population in Yemen has access to electric power. This low access has negative impacts to quality of life as well as broad economic implications. Although the political and security situation in Yemen is still unstable, the government of Yemen looks forward to the future and has been developing plans to replace aging electric power infrastructure, to increase the grid capacity and to possibly add a nuclear power plant (NPP) of the 1000 MWt class to its current energy mix. This paper presents the results of a siting study for NPP in Yemen suggesting a PWR type (Pressurized Water Reactor). From eight coastal provinces twelve potential sites were proposed and then evaluated against nine avoidance criteria to screen out some candidate sites, then these sites evaluated again under other nine suitability criteria to choose the preferable and alternative sites. To perform this study in systematic approach using the Analytic Hierarchy Process (AHP) was applied to support the decision making analysis. Results showed that the southern coast of Yemen has the capability to accommodate nuclear power plants due to its large area and low population density. The siting study recommends three high preference sites and another three acceptable alternative sites.