Saudi to award nuclear reactor contracts ‘very soon’

[The SC]

Phase one involves construction of two large commercial nuclear reactors

Saudi Arabia’s energy minister, Prince Abdulaziz bin Salman, revealed that recent discoveries showed a diversified uranium portfolio in the kingdom, and that contracts for nuclear power reactors that his country plans to build will be awarded “very soon.”

Prince Abdulaziz bin Salman’s remarks came on the sidelines of the International Mining Conference held in Riyadh, the first day of which witnessed the signing ceremony of 25 cooperation agreements and memorandums of understanding between a number of government agencies, companies and institutions participating in the conference.

The minister added that the kingdom seeks to manufacture nuclear fuel for domestic use and export it. “This use includes the production of yellowcake, low-enriched uranium and the manufacture of nuclear fuel,” the Saudi minister said.

He explained that the Kingdom intends to use its uranium resources, in line with international obligations and standards of the nuclear fuel production cycle.

The Saudi energy minister confirmed that the Saudi national nuclear program for atomic energy will work on building nuclear reactors in the Kingdom, which will include in the first phase two large commercial nuclear reactors before expanding further.

Prince Abdulaziz said earlier, “We have large quantities of uranium and we will exploit it commercially in an optimal way. “We will deal with uranium reserves transparently, and we will look for the right partners.”

Saudi Arabia has repeatedly said it is seeking to diversify away from oil to meet its future energy needs. King Abdullah City for Atomic and Renewable Energy (K.A.CARE) was established in 2010.

In parallel, the Kingdom has signed international treaties and conventions on this subject. It has also signed a number of nuclear cooperation agreements with many leading countries in this field.

The Kingdom has launched two initiatives in line with the goals of Vision 2030: the King Salman Renewable Energy Initiative and the National Atomic Energy Program launched in mid-2017, the Nuclear Law and the Civil Liability for Nuclear Damage Law.

It also established the Nuclear and Radiological Regulatory Commission, an independent regulatory body to monitor the implementation of its nuclear energy program.

In 2018, Saudi Arabia and South Korea signed a memorandum of understanding to conduct a feasibility study to assess the possibility of building two small reactors in Saudi Arabia.

In the same year, KEPCO and King Abdullah City for Atomic and Renewable Energy (K.A.CARE) began feasibility studies for the use of KEPCO’s reactor technology in Saudi Arabia.

The Kingdom’s move towards nuclear energy is part of a wider interest in the Middle East region to use nuclear reactors to diversify energy sources.

The UAE has already started producing electricity from the Barakah plant, which was the first peaceful nuclear power plant in the Arab world. Upon completion, the plant’s four reactors will provide about a quarter of the country’s electricity needs.

Egypt is also building the Dabaa nuclear plant with an estimated production capacity of 4,800 megawatts, at a cost of $20 billion.

Nuclear power plants are currently operating in 31 countries, mostly in Europe, North America, and East and South Asia.

The United States is the largest producer of nuclear power, while France has the largest share of electricity generated from nuclear power.


https://economymiddleeast.com/news/saudi-to-award-nuclear-reactor-contracts-very-soon/

 

[The SC]

Saudi Arabia can alleviate US concerns over its civilian nuclear energy program. Here’s how.​

US State Secretary Antony J. Blinken meets with Saudi Foreign Minister Faisal bin Farhan in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia on June 7, 2023. Despite Blinken’s visit, differences remain over Saudi Arabia's ambitions to develop its own civilian nuclear power industry and Washington seeing it as a potential proliferation risk. (Photo by Hisham Mousa / US State Department, via Flickr)

Saudi leaders have stepped up their plans for developing peaceful nuclear energy, inviting technical bids to the planned construction of two 1.4 gigawatt-electric nuclear reactors and restating the kingdom’s intention to use domestic uranium resources for producing low-enriched uranium as nuclear fuel.

Although open to cooperating with any country willing and able to support its atomic aspirations, Saudi Arabia so far has preferred US nuclear technology. Saudi leaders are now pushing for a joint US-Saudi domestic project on nuclear energy, which would follow the US-Saudi cooperation model of Aramco, the Saudi state oil company. Recent reports suggest that Washington may also consider upgrading military relations if the kingdom normalizes its ties with Israel. In recent weeks and months, President Biden’s top diplomat and national security aides travelled to Riyadh to discuss these very issues with Saudi officials.

But there is one sticking point in US-Saudi nuclear negotiations: Per Saudi wishes, uranium enrichment shall happen on Saudi soil, even as US companies would oversee the development of new nuclear reactors. But Washington has stated that it would consider a deal with Riyadh if it were like the one it brokered with the United Arab Emirates in 2009, which guarantees US cooperation in return for a ban on enrichment and fuel reprocessing—a deal known as the “gold standard.”

To increase the chances of a diplomatic breakthrough, Saudi Arabia has an opportunity to assuage at least some US concerns about its nuclear ambitions and create a more credible and comprehensive profile for itself as a responsible nuclear power by investing in effective nuclear safety and security measures.

An old debate. Much has been said about why Saudi Arabia is increasingly interested in civilian nuclear energy and why there are concerns regarding Riyadh’s motives. In short, the kingdom prioritizes civilian nuclear energy to meet its growing energy needs (today, virtually all of the country’s electricity is generated by burning fossil fuels) and to reduce the costs of its extensive desalination activities and requirements.

The challenge is in the technology itself. The same technologies that produce energy—namely uranium enrichment or plutonium separation to produce fuel for civilian nuclear reactors—can also make the key materials for nuclear weapons. Because of the dual-use nature of nuclear technology, the United States has placed conditions on nuclear energy cooperation with other countries, including the acceptance of enhanced international safeguards on their nuclear programs.

In this debate about Saudi motivations, there has been little discussion of the practical measures that might be used to create a safe and secure Saudi nuclear program. Regardless of which route Riyadh takes—be it through Washington, Beijing, Moscow, or Seoul—the common denominator of all Saudi atomic pursuits is a solid nuclear foundation that prevents not only weaponization but also possible reactor accidents, both of which could turn into region-wide catastrophes.

Saudi Arabia should consider adopting strong nuclear safety and security measures to not only boost negotiations with Washington but also support some critical national and regional security objectives.

To that purpose, investments should be made in four areas.

Safety, safeguards, and security. First, Saudi Arabia should collaborate closely with the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) to implement these measures while it works on developing initial reactor designs. These features must be rigorously tested against realistic and challenging scenarios.

The risks of not having adequate safety, safeguards, and security are significant. Radioactive material theft is one of them. According to the IAEA, from 1993 to 2015, there were 2,889 confirmed cases of “illicit trafficking, thefts, losses,” or “other unauthorized activities and events involving nuclear and other radioactive material worldwide, 762 of which involved theft or loss.”

Such incidents are likely, given the increased demand for nuclear energy in the region. In 2012, or example, during the protests in Egypt, radioactive material was stolen from a nuclear power plant. In Syria, the Jaafar al-Tayyar brigade and al-Nusra Front took advantage of the ongoing civil war to seize the area surrounding the already-destroyed al-Kibar nuclear reactor in early 2013. Likewise, the Islamic State captured two sources of cobalt 60 in Mosul, Iraq, in 2014. Neither the Islamic State nor the Jaafar al-Tayyar brigade and al-Nusra Front managed to acquire fissile or radioactive materials.

Just recently, the IAEA confirmed that 2.5 tons of natural uranium in Libya—initially part of the country’s nuclear weapons program, which was dismantled in 2003—went missing. The Libyan National Army reportedly found barrels containing most of the uranium three miles from the warehouse where they had been stored, but a small amount of material is reportedly still unaccounted for. Such scenarios demonstrate how weak nuclear governance may amplify proliferation risks, especially in conflict-prone contexts.

Protecting nuclear reactors from missiles and drones should be another Saudi (and regional) concern. Nuclear reactors in the Middle East have been an attractive military targets; on at least 13 occasions, nuclear facilities in the region have been targets of attacks. Saddam Hussein targeted Israel’s Dimona reactor, and Israel has bombed research reactors in both Iraq and Syria. During the Iran-Iraq war, Iraq bombed Iran’s Bushehr reactor several times, while Iran conducted an airstrike on Iraq’s Osirak nuclear reactor, the same reactor Israel destroyed a year later.

Of note, the Emirates’ Barakah nuclear power plant and the current sites identified for the Saudi nuclear reactors in the Gulf are less than 200 miles (322 kilometers) from Iran. In December 2017, the Houthis claimed they shot missiles at Abu Dhabi’s nuclear power plant, which was under construction. While the claims could not be substantiated, it would not be the first time a non-state actor targeted a nuclear facility in the region with missiles. Hamas and Hezbollah also have claimed to have shot or aimed at Israel’s nuclear reactor in Dimona.

Saudi Arabia can collaborate with regional and international partners on developing and adopting best practices and guidelines on nuclear safety and security. These could include physical barriers and properly trained security personnel, safety procedures, and constant surveillance using, among other tools, unmanned technologies.

Emergency response. Second, Saudi Arabia can develop plans for responding to nuclear emergencies. This could include training first responders, developing evacuation plans, and stockpiling supplies.

The 2011 Tohoku earthquake and the Fukushima Daiichi disaster in Japan have demonstrated that seismic events can destroy reactor cooling systems and cause nuclear meltdown and contamination. The dependency of Gulf countries on the waterways of the Gulf is a source of increased vulnerability as these countries do not have water storage capacity beyond a few days’ worth of drinking water.

Further, their desalination plants are highly vulnerable to military attacks, while the water sources are susceptible to oil spills and other forms of seawater contamination. Thus, any accident or release of crude oil or nuclear or radioactive material into the waters of the Gulf could threaten the lives and livelihood of millions of people. Such a shared risk among all Gulf countries could be the basis for dialogue about preventing, mitigating, and responding to potential incidents. That’s why emergency preparedness and response are so crucial.

New technologies. Saudi Arabia can further invest in research and development of new nuclear technologies, such as small modular reactors (SMR), by working with regional countries interested in such technologies and possibly partnering with the IAEA to develop safeguards systems for SMRs. In addition to Saudi Arabia, other countries in the region are interested in SMRs, including Jordan and the Emirates. These countries could partner to understand the possible opportunities and risks associated with SMRs—including financial, utility for desalination, proliferation, safeguards, waste management—and work with the IAEA and potential buyers in the region to address the risks, given several regional countries’ hope to rely on SMRs to address their energy needs and water shortages.

Education. Finally, Saudi Arabia can develop regional education and training programs to raise awareness of nuclear energy and its potential benefits and risks. This could include creating a curriculum for schools and universities and providing training for government officials and industry professionals.

Even in the optimal scenarios of Saudi Arabia and the United States agreeing to work together on civilian nuclear energy and Iran’s nuclear genie staying in the bottle, nuclear safety and security issues will remain paramount. And they must be strategized and developed—technically,
institutionally, legally, and procedurally—when establishing any new nuclear program.

Natural disasters, radiological terrorism, sabotage operations, and conventional attacks all show how risky the civilian nuclear enterprise in the Middle East can be. However, this nuclear renaissance in the region is coming. Indeed, it’s a matter of when, not if. Saudi Arabia has a real opportunity to exercise regional leadership in this space to secure its own nuclear future but also incentivize the United States—its best partner—to work with it.


https://thebulletin.org/2023/07/sau...ts-civilian-nuclear-energy-program-heres-how/

 

[The SC]

Saudi Arabia is studying a Chinese offer to build nuclear reactors

August 2023 - 09:42


(Reuters) - Saudi Arabia is considering a Chinese offer to build a nuclear power plant in the kingdom, the Wall Street Journal reported on Friday, a decision that could derail US plans in Saudi Arabia.

The report quoted well-informed Saudi officials as saying that the Chinese National Nuclear Corporation, a state-owned company, made an offer to build a nuclear plant in the eastern region of the Kingdom near the borders with Qatar and the UAE.

The Chinese Foreign Ministry did not confirm what was mentioned in the report, but a spokesperson for the ministry said at a press conference, "China will continue mutually beneficial cooperation with Saudi Arabia in various fields, including civil nuclear energy, while strictly abiding by international non-proliferation obligations."

China National Nuclear Corporation did not immediately respond to a request for comment. The Saudi Ministry of Foreign Affairs did not respond to requests for comment on the report.

The kingdom previously sought Washington's cooperation in establishing a civilian nuclear program on its soil as part of a possible agreement to normalize relations with Israel.

US officials have said in the past that sharing nuclear energy technology would only be possible if the deal prevented uranium enrichment or reactor-produced plutonium reprocessing, two pathways to making nuclear weapons.

The newspaper added that Saudi officials acknowledged that discussing the matter with China is a way to urge the administration of US President Joe Biden to make concessions on non-proliferation requirements.

It said Saudi officials had said they preferred to commission the state-owned Korea Electric Power Company in South Korea to build the plant's reactors with US operational expertise, but without agreeing to the non-proliferation controls Washington generally requires.

The Wall Street Journal reported that Saudi officials said that Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman is ready to move forward with the Chinese company soon if talks with the United States fail.

The newspaper quoted the Chinese Foreign Ministry as saying that Beijing will continue to cooperate with Saudi Arabia in the field of civil nuclear energy, while adhering to international rules to prevent nuclear proliferation.


https://www.swissinfo.ch/ara/reuters/صحيفة--السعودية-تدرس-عرضا-صينيا-لبناء-محطة-نووية/48761098

 

[Sinnerman108]

I doubt Chinese or Russians will get to make any money in this vertical.

this will go to the Americans, Koreans, japan ...... maybe france.

I wold bet on Korea or France then Americans.

japan at the end... they are being naughty these days.

 

[The SC]

*** Chinese nuclear companies mostly localize the design and components of their nuclear plant, making them less vulnerable to supposed future US sanctions.

China does not object to Saudi Arabia extracting its own uranium and selling it abroad, which is a point of contention with the United States, and the Kingdom wants to develop a huge mining industry by 2030 with large enough uranium deposits to be marketed.


Wall Street Journal:

China as an option if Saudi Arabia wants to "light the fire under the feet of decision-makers in Washington"

#Prince_Mohammed_bin_Salman made obtaining nuclear energy a priority
Going forward with the Chinese nuclear bid would mark yet another geopolitical shift toward China for the Saudi kingdom.

Building reactors for another country is inherently geopolitical, as it binds countries to expensive and long-term contracts. Sun Chen, the former head of China's CNNC, once likened such deals to a "100-year marriage", given the time it takes from initial discussions to signing the agreement and then building, maintaining and decommissioning the station.

China helped Riyadh build its own ballistic missiles and helped the Saudis set up a facility to extract uranium yellowcake from uranium ore, an initial step toward uranium enrichment. The Saudi government said it was working with the Chinese to explore for uranium.

Even if China has only a remote chance, Saudi Arabia can keep CNNC as an option if Saudi Arabia wants to "light the fire under the feet of decision-makers in Washington" to speed up a solution.

Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman has made obtaining nuclear energy a priority. After a decade of nuclear discussions, the Saudis are seeking to award the contract for construction of the Eastern Province plant, known as Duweihin — a two-reactor facility with a capacity of 2.8 gigawatts — by the end of 2023, eventually building 16 reactors at a cost of $80 billion to $100 billion.

The Saudi insistence on obtaining nuclear power is driven by two potential existential issues: Iran's nuclear program, and a future in which the kingdom's main export, oil, will be worthless.

https://twitter.com/x/status/1695147798566465939

 

[aziqbal]

why does every nation need to alleviate US that their nuclear program is for peaceful purposes ?

just get on with it Israel has nukes and no one bats a eye lid when they kill Palestinians

UAE gave the contract to South Korea

lets see who the Saudis pick

 

[The SC]

Years ago, the whole world talked about the advanced Saudi-South korean nuclear reactor "Smart", which Saudi Arabia is building.

Today, satellite images show the completion of the works, and perhaps the start of operation, in conjunction with several news that talked about Saudi-Chinese understandings to transfer technology locally.

"Saudi Arabia is a nuclear state "

https://twitter.com/x/status/1695425439009734904

 

[The SC]

A major strategic step.. Saudi Arabia announces a surprising project in the field of nuclear energy

The Kingdom of Saudi Arabia announced its intention to build the country's first nuclear power plant, with the aim of contributing to national development and providing sustainable energy sources.

This came during an announcement by the Saudi Minister of Energy, Prince Abdulaziz bin Salman, during his participation in the 67th session of the General Conference of the International Atomic Energy Agency, which was held in the Austrian capital, Vienna.

The Saudi Minister of Energy added that the Kingdom is committed to its national nuclear energy policy, while providing the highest levels of safety and transparency, and promoting the uses of peaceful nuclear energy in various fields in cooperation with the International Atomic Energy Agency.

Regarding Saudi Arabia’s development goals, economic advisor Habib Turkestani pointed out that Saudi Arabia has the ability and desire to achieve its development goals, and that Vision 2030 has opened broad horizons for investments and strategic partnerships, which strengthens the national economy and enhances regional and international cooperation..