MOSCOW, October 5. /TASS/. Russia has certain potential for cooperation in nuclear power with Saudi Arabia, which plans for boosting this energy sector, Russia’s Energy Minister Aleksandr Novak who co-chairs the Russian-Saudi inter-governmental commission told the Russian-Saudi investment forum on Thursday.
"We have a vast potential for developing cooperation in nuclear power. Saudi Arabia plans to launch a major nuclear power program," he said. "Nuclear power may become one of the basic sources and an extra catalyst for the development of various industries and innovation technologies in Saudi Arabia. Cooperation in that sphere would be a logical confirmation and prolongation of strategic cooperation between our countries."
Rosatom sent proposals to Saudi Arabia
Russian state nuclear corporation Rosatom has sent its proposals to the Saudi party for the construction of a nuclear power plant in Saudi Arabia, head of Rosatom Alexei Likhachev told TASS.
"Of course, we have sent it," he said, when answering the relevant question.
"I hope that we will reach an agreement on cooperation in peaceful atom and other areas, such as mobile sources of nuclear energy, small and medium-sized power sources, scientific research," he noted.
"Saudi Arabia has got down to creating its own nuclear power industry. The first step has been taken - a request was sent for a parade of vendors prepared to build a major nuclear power plant," he said.
Likhachyov said Rosatom hoped for cooperation with Saudi Arabia in building nuclear power plants and in creating mobile power sources.
"I do hope that we will achieve an agreement on interaction in civil nuclear power and along other lines, such as mobile nuclear power sources, small and medium capacity power plants and research," he said.
In the summer of 2015 Russia and Saudi Arabia concluded an inter-government agreement on cooperation in civil nuclear power. Saudi Arabia’s government approved that treaty.
As he touched upon the new-comers to the nuclear power industry Likhachyov recalled Egypt and Turkey, where the first nuclear power plants would begin to be built soon, and also China and India, whose governments had already coordinated the sites for building their second NPPs.