Saudi Arabia, which plans to build 16 nuclear reactors by 2030, will begin the tendering process to construct the first station by the end of next year, according to the King Abdullah Center of Atomic and Renewable Energy. The site of the reactor will be announced by March, Saleh Al Shubaili, a spokesman, said Monday. “The bidding will be of a gradual pace rather than one award,” Al Shubaili said, referring to the construction of all the proposed reactors. Saudi Arabia is investing in nuclear power to help meet rising domestic demand for electricity. Earlier, the Kingdom has signed an agreement with South Korea on developing nuclear power generation to help meet the local demand. Saudi Arabia and South Korea “entered into a bilateral agreement designed to enhance cooperation between the two countries in the development and use of atomic energy for peaceful purposes,” said the statement from the King Abdullah City for Atomic and Renewable Energy (KA-CARE). The agreement is aimed at establishing a “legal framework that strengthens scientific, technological and economic cooperation between the two nations, while reaffirming their desire to place the highest priority on nuclear safety and environmental protection,” it added. Under its terms, the two countries will cooperate in the “design, construction, operation, maintenance and development of nuclear power plants,” it added. Saudi Arabia “aims at developing a sustainable energy mix that includes nuclear energy, to cope with the accelerating local energy demand reaching 8 percent annually,” said the statement. In February, it signed a cooperation agreement with France on peaceful nuclear energy development, having inked a similar deal with the US in 2008.
