Five countries have submitted their requests for the establishment of two nuclear reactors in Saudi Arabia on the Arabian Gulf coast.
The bid was made after the peaceful Saudi nuclear project met the requirements of the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA).
The oil-rich Kingdom launched a tender to define specifications of sites that will host the two reactors, said Chairman of King Abdullah City for Atomic and Renewable Energy (KACARE) Khalid al-Sultan.
He added that KACARE asked the services providers in the US, Russia, France, South Korea and China to present their preliminary offers.
Some specifications were sent for further offers in order to award a contract that includes the specifications of the two locations where the reactors will be built.
The Saudi measure followed a report by the IAEA, which reviewed the advanced steps taken by Riyadh to develop its nuclear power infrastructure.
It laid down a legislative framework and comprehensive studies to support the steps required for the program.
Sultan received the report during a meeting with Deputy Director General of the IAEA Mikhail Chudakov on Tuesday.
The report reviewed the development of Saudi Arabia’s nuclear energy infrastructure, the IAEA’s recommendations and proposals regarding the completion of the basic requirements before the procurement process and the competition to build the first atomic power station in the Kingdom in accordance with the agency’s methodology, known as the Milestones Approach.
This was stated in the IAEA final report of the Integrated Nuclear Infrastructure Review Mission (INIR), which took place in the period between July 15 and 24, 2018.
The report also cited “good practices” by Saudi Arabia, the most important of which is the government’s support and leadership of the program, strategic partnerships built to support it, development and maintenance of the studies’ data on the construction site of the first atomic power station in Saudi Arabia and the mechanism for developing the regulatory and legal framework for the atomic energy sector.
It also tackled the importance of strategic partnerships developed by Saudi Arabia with countries with expertise in the use of nuclear energy, pointing out that Riyadh has been conducting negotiations with technology suppliers in a systematic manner consisting of several stages to complete the negotiation process.
Source: Al Bawaba
