French Firms Eye Saudis Nuclear Sector
Thursday March 28,2013
The French firms EDF and Areva continue trying to expand their contacts in Saudi Arabia, pending a formal decision of King Abdullah to establish a dozen reactors by 2032. According to a French source, the decision could be announced before the coming summer.
On Monday the two groups met dozens of Saudi companies through a special workshop held in Riyadh, but the challenge the companies face is twofold. "Because it takes time to identify and qualify businesses that can participate in a nuclear program, these forums allow us to establish contacts, even if the final decision of the Kingdom has yet to be made, said Tarik Choho, Deputy Managing Director of Areva.
For Saudi Arabia, the choice is mainly to ensure a share in the local market. "From what we saw in the Saudi industrial projects, a 50% to 60% share in the Saudi market is possible," noted Choho. According to him, there are some skilled Saudi companies in petroleum, civil engineering, and water desalination that may in fact be easily transposed into the nuclear industry.
Among the companies present at the latest forum were suppliers such as Al Zamil (mechanical components), Saudi Pumps (pumps), Bahra Cables, Sabic, and especially Saudi Benladin Group (SBG), the bin Laden familys leading civil engineering group. Areva and EDF say they have formed a partnership with Benladin to facilitate their entry into the countrys nuclear field.
The French companies scope of ongoing contacts with Saudi Arabia is not limited to the nuclear sphere. EDF is also partnering with Prince Bandar, a member of the royal family, for projects in thermal power plants and power grids. EDF Energies Nouvelles has taken another turn in Saudi Arabia to use its expertise in solar project development, with the installation of more than 40 gigawatts of power capacity by 2030. Areva also hopes to find a market for its technology of concentrating on solar thermal energy.
French Firms Eye Saudi
Thursday March 28,2013
The French firms EDF and Areva continue trying to expand their contacts in Saudi Arabia, pending a formal decision of King Abdullah to establish a dozen reactors by 2032. According to a French source, the decision could be announced before the coming summer.
On Monday the two groups met dozens of Saudi companies through a special workshop held in Riyadh, but the challenge the companies face is twofold. "Because it takes time to identify and qualify businesses that can participate in a nuclear program, these forums allow us to establish contacts, even if the final decision of the Kingdom has yet to be made, said Tarik Choho, Deputy Managing Director of Areva.
For Saudi Arabia, the choice is mainly to ensure a share in the local market. "From what we saw in the Saudi industrial projects, a 50% to 60% share in the Saudi market is possible," noted Choho. According to him, there are some skilled Saudi companies in petroleum, civil engineering, and water desalination that may in fact be easily transposed into the nuclear industry.
Among the companies present at the latest forum were suppliers such as Al Zamil (mechanical components), Saudi Pumps (pumps), Bahra Cables, Sabic, and especially Saudi Benladin Group (SBG), the bin Laden familys leading civil engineering group. Areva and EDF say they have formed a partnership with Benladin to facilitate their entry into the countrys nuclear field.
The French companies scope of ongoing contacts with Saudi Arabia is not limited to the nuclear sphere. EDF is also partnering with Prince Bandar, a member of the royal family, for projects in thermal power plants and power grids. EDF Energies Nouvelles has taken another turn in Saudi Arabia to use its expertise in solar project development, with the installation of more than 40 gigawatts of power capacity by 2030. Areva also hopes to find a market for its technology of concentrating on solar thermal energy.
French Firms Eye Saudi
