Russia’s Rosatom State Atomic Energy Corporation and Saudi Arabia’s King Abdullah City for Atomic and Renewable Energy have signed a programme for cooperation in the peaceful uses of nuclear energy.

The programme was signed in Moscow during the visit of Saudi Arabia’s King Salman bin Abdulaziz to Russia. 

On behalf of Saudi Arabia, the document was signed by Maher Abdullah Alodan, chief atomic energy officer of King Abdullah City for Atomic and Renewable Energy (K∙A∙CARE) and authorised by Khalid Al Falih, the Minister of Energy, Industry and Mineral Resources. On behalf of Russia, the document was signed by Evgeny Pakermanov, president of Rusatom Overseas, and authorised by Alexey Likhachev, director general of Rosatom.

The programme provides for cooperation between Russia and Saudi Arabia in several key areas such as small and medium reactors that could be used for both power generation and water desalination, in the area of human resources and nuclear infrastructure development for the Saudi national nuclear programme. 

Russia and Saudi Arabia will also consider the advantages of construction of a Nuclear Science and Technology Centre based on the Russian-design research reactor in Saudi Arabia.

The Programme was signed following the framework of the Intergovernmental Agreement (IGA) for the Cooperation in the Peaceful Uses of Nuclear Energy concluded by the two countries in June 2015.  – TradeArabia News Service