King Abdullah City for Atomic and Renewable Energy Deputy President Dr. Waleed Abul Faraj and the Korea Atomic Energy Research Institute (KAERI) President Dr. Jong Kyung Kim sign nuclear cooperation agreements in Riyadh on Wednesday. — SPA
Saudi Gazette report
RIYADH – Saudi Arabia on Wednesday signed a cooperation agreement with South Korea for building SMART nuclear reactors and developing human resources capability to run them.
The agreement was signed between King Abdullah City for Atomic and Renewable Energy (KA-CARE) and the Korea Atomic Energy Research Institute (KAERI), the designer of SMART (System-integrated Modular Advanced Reactor).
The signing ceremony was held at the KA-CARE headquarters here in the presence of its President Dr. Hashim Yamani, KAERI President Dr. Jong Kyung Kim and several leading nuclear experts from both the countries, the Saudi Press Agency reported.
Dr. Waleed Abul Faraj, deputy president of KA-CARE, and Kim signed several contracts, which aim at building partnership to establish knowledge infrastructure in SMART technology fields, such as designing and building reactors and maintaining their mechanical and safety features, according to a press statement.
The signing of the contracts showed the Kingdom's keenness to harness alternative energy sources for power generation and water desalination.
The signing of contracts come in the framework of the signing of a memorandum of understanding (MOU) between the two countries following a meeting between Custodian of the Two Holy Mosques King Salman and South Korean President Park Guen-hye in Riyadh in March this year.
Under the deal, the two countries will conduct a three-year preliminary study to review the feasibility of constructing SMART reactors in Saudi Arabia. The cost of building the first SMART unit is estimated at $1 billion. The MOU also calls for the two countries to cooperate on the commercialization and promotion of the SMART reactor to third countries.
Korea and Saudi Arabia signed a cooperation agreement on the peaceful use of nuclear energy in November 2011. The agreement covers research and development, the design, development and operation of a nuclear power plant and nuclear safety and security issues, as well as laying the legal foundations for the export of nuclear technology.
SMART is a 330 MWt pressurized water reactor with integral steam generators and advanced safety features. The unit is designed for electricity generation as well as thermal applications, such as seawater desalination, with a 60-year design life and three-year refueling cycle.
