IAEA says Saudi Arabia ready to finalize construction of first nuclear plant

Saudi Arabia is well placed to finalize its plans for the construction of its first nuclear power plant, the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) said in its latest review report.

An IAEA team, which was hosted by King Abdullah City for Atomic and Renewable Energy (KACARE), spent 12 days reviewing the country's development of infrastructure for a nuclear power program. The Integrated Nuclear Infrastructure Review (INIR), which was carried out at the invitation of the Kingdom, ended on July 24.

The INIR mission reviewed the status of nuclear infrastructure development using the phase two criteria of the IAEA’s milestones approach, which provides detailed guidance across three phases — consider, prepare, construct — of development. The end of phase two marks a country’s readiness to invite bids or negotiate a contract for its first nuclear power plant.

“The INIR mission was conducted in a cooperative and open atmosphere,” said team leader Jose Bastos, technical lead of the IAEA’s Nuclear Infrastructure Development Section.

The INIR team said that the Kingdom has made significant progress in the development of nuclear power infrastructure, establishing a legislative framework and carrying out comprehensive studies to support the next steps of the program.

The Kingdom has developed partnerships with countries experienced in the use of nuclear power and is using their technical support, the team added.

The team comprised experts from Brazil, Spain and the UK as well as IAEA staff. It reviewed the status of 19 nuclear power program infrastructure issues. Before the mission, then Kingdom submitted a self-evaluation report covering all infrastructure issues as well as supporting documents to the IAEA.

The team made recommendations and suggestions where the further action would benefit Saudi Arabia, including coordination and development of outstanding nuclear-related policies and strategies, finalization of the readiness of key organizations and completion of studies to prepare for future stages of the nuclear power program.

Welcoming the results, Dr Khalid Al-Sultan, president of KACARE, said: “Vision 2030 considers nuclear energy as an important source to support stability and sustainable growth. The deployment of nuclear energy aims for peaceful purposes, in a safe, secure and sustainable manner consistent with the highest standards and best practices."

Saudi Arabia is considering building 17.6 gigawatts of nuclear capacity by 2032, the equivalent of about 17 reactors.