On March 2009, Kuwait moved to set up a national nuclear energy commission, in cooperation with the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA). In April 2010, it signed a nuclear cooperation agreement with France that included nuclear energy applications, electricity generation, water desalination, research, agronomy, biology, earth sciences and medicine. On December 2010, the Kuwait Investment Authority agreed to take €600m ($675m) equity (4.8%) in Areva.
Kuwait expanded its nuclear cooperation agreements with the USA, Russia and Japan. On August 2016, Russia expressed an interest in helping the kingdom develop its nuclear power sector.
But recently, Kuwait’s Ministry of Electricity and Water announced it dropped the plans to build a NPP.
The ministry decided to retract the plans because studies proved it was too expensive and because alternative energy sources, such as wind and solar power, were more cost effective.
