Saudi Arabia says still examining options for nuclear power plants

Saudi Arabia said it was still undertaking feasibility studies before deciding how and where to build its first nuclear power stations. Saudi Arabia want to launch a tendering process for its first nuclear reactors as early as next month and would contact potential vendors from a number of countries including South Korea, France and China. The world’s top oil exporter wants to start construction next year on two nuclear power plants with a total electricity generating capacity of up to 2.8 gigawatts, as it follows Gulf neighbour the United Arab Emirates in seeking to produce atomic energy. Hashim bin Abdullah Yamani, president of the King Abdullah City for Atomic and Renewable Energy (KACARE), said that their are carrying out feasibility studies, technically and economically to build those nuclear reactors in addition to detailed technical studies for the selection of the best locations. He told the annual general conference of the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) in Vienna that Saudi Arabia had teamed up with South Korean partners to locally build reactors which can function in remote areas without links to power grids.