India is offering an unprecedented strategic partnership to assist the UAE in creating its civilian nuclear programme while collectively securing important future resources, Indian Ambassador Sunjay Sudhir revealed in exclusive discussions. The expansive collaboration master plan covers four frontier areas – from next-generation power plants to space technology – that can remould bilateral relationships beyond their $85 billion trading relationship.
At the core of the proposal is India’s proposal to co-design and build nuclear reactors based on its indigenously developed Pressurized Heavy Water Reactor (PHWR) technology. These 700MW units – tested in Rajasthan’s harsh desert environment – offer the UAE 40% cost savings compared to Western options while employing seawater cooling ideal for Gulf weather. The transaction would be India’s first complete nuclear export and deploy thousands of Indian engineers in the Emirates by 2030.
But the vision extends way beyond energy. The countries are negotiating:
• A genomics moonshot to create drought-tolerant crops for dry regions
• Combining UAE’s satellite systems with India’s Gaganyaan space crew technology
• Establishing a Africa-India-UAE corridor to acquire rare earth minerals needed for AI and renewals
Geopolitical Ripple Effects:
The anticipated partnership would enable the UAE to diversify away from Western nuclear suppliers, while providing India with a strategic presence in Gulf infrastructure. Negotiations, though, are challenged by NSG export regulations as well as anticipated resistance from European reactor companies. With PM Modi poised to push the talks on his 2025 UAE tour, this new axis might reshape the Global South’s technological alignments.
