The International Atomic Energy Agency: The Saudi research reactor is nearing completion
The Director-General of the International Atomic Energy Agency, Rafael Mariano Grossi, said on Wednesday that the completion of the construction of the Saudi nuclear research reactor is imminent, and that the agency is discussing with the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia the necessary monitoring processes.
Grossi added that the Argentine INFAB company, which is building the reactor, has finished preparing the fuel and will ship it to Saudi Arabia.
“Of course there are some regulatory aspects that must be taken care of because from the moment Saudi Arabia has a research reactor, we will have to have a comprehensive safeguards agreement,” he said, adding that Riyadh is close to signing the updated 2015 International Atomic Energy Agency agreement.
Saudi Energy Minister Prince Abdulaziz bin Salman said in September that the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia had decided to end light oversight of its nuclear activities by the United Nations International Atomic Energy Agency and switch to comprehensive safeguards, a change the agency has been demanding for years.
Grossi told reporters during a visit to Riyadh, saying, “I hope to talk to the Saudi Energy Minister now, so that the necessary inspections are available by the International Atomic Energy Agency when we have the nuclear materials here”ز
In response to a question about when the fuel will arrive in Saudi Arabia, Grossi said, “The decision is up to the Saudis… From a technical point of view, what I understand from the Argentine company is that they are ready”ز
The Kingdom of Saudi Arabia has a nascent nuclear program that it wants to expand to eventually include activities such as uranium enrichment.
