nuclear-news

Bechtel companies hoping to build nuclear power in Saudi Arabia

Bechtel in Talks Over Potential Role in Saudi Nuclear Program, Bloomberg, By Vivian Nereim, April 11, 2018,

• Company also interested in futuristic planned city Neom
• ‘This kind of work is right in our sweet spot’: Bechtel CEO

Bechtel Group Inc. is “very interested” in Saudi Arabia’s plans for a civilian nuclear program and is discussing potential roles for the company.

“This kind of work is right in our sweet spot,” Chief Executive Officer Brendan Bechtel said Tuesday in an interview in Riyadh, where the San Francisco-based engineering and construction company is celebrating its 75th anniversary of doing business in Saudi Arabia. “It’s going to be highly competitive and there are multiple solutions from different nation-states competing. The U.S. is going to need to be competitive to secure a role.”

…….One potential wrinkle is whether any agreement with Saudi Arabia would include a so-called gold-standard clause, which permits power generation but would bar the enrichment and reprocessing of nuclear fuel and waste. The United Arab Emirates has made such a concession, but the Trump administration has considered potential deals with the kingdom that don’t include the prohibition. The issue was further muddied in March when Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman said the kingdom would develop a nuclear weapon if Iran did.

Bechtel is in discussions with the Saudi government’s King Abdullah  City for Atomic and Renewable Energy, and the tender process is “moving pretty fast,” Bechtel said. Saudi officials have said they expect to sign contracts to build the first two reactors by the end of 2018…..https://www.bloomberg.com/news/articles/2018-04-10/bechtel-in-talks-over-potential-role-in-saudi-nuclear-program

April 11, 2018 - Posted by Christina Macpherson | general