London (Platts)--21Aug2007

Yemen will build a nuclear power plant, the country's energy minister, Mustafa
Yahia Bahran, said August 18, according to media reports. According to Bahran,
Yemen needs to diversify its energy supplies and will therefore order a power 
reactor from a foreign vendor, the reports said. 

In June, Yemen's president, Ali Abdullah Saleh, discussed nuclear cooperation
with French leaders during an official visit in France, the reports said.
Western diplomats said August 20 that the US and members of the European Union
would likely support Yemen's bid for a power reactor. Since 2004, Yemen has
supported the US counterterrorism initiatives in the Persian Gulf and Middle
East, and is rapidly developing economic relations with EU states.