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Why does Saudi Arabia need nuclear power?

al-Hasani

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Ana Komnenic | January 6, 2014

Saudi Arabia – known for its massive oil resources – is making a serious push for a different kind of energy: Nuclear power.

Last week the country signed a deal with France's AREVA and EDF on a series of initiatives aimed at supporting Saudi Arabia's nuclear energy program.

Japan is also preparing a nuclear power pact with the Saudi Kingdom. The deal would allow Japanese businesses to export atomic-related infrastructure to the country, as reported by Japan Times.

Saudi Arabia officially started looking into nuclear power in 2006. Along with the other members of the Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC) – Kuwait, Bahrain, the United Arab Emirates, Qatar and Oman – the oil-rich nation led an investigation into the possibility of a nuclear power and desalination program.

According to the World Nuclear Association, Saudi Arabia plans on building 16 nuclear power reactors over the next 20 years, with the first scheduled to come on line in 2022.

So why does the world's second-biggest oil producer need nuclear power?

In 2009, the Kingdom issued a royal decree stating that the "development of atomic energy is essential to meet the Kingdom's growing requirements for energy to generate electricity, produce desalinated water and reduce reliance on depleting hydrocarbon resources."

With energy demand growing by about 8% annually, a population of about 32 million and few natural sources of fresh water, the oil-rich country – and the Middle East's biggest oil consumer – actually has a shortage in domestic electricity generation.

A recent study by the World Economic Forum ranked countries based on how secure they are in terms of energy. Saudi Arabia, despite its oil production of about 9.7 million barrels per day, ranked 91 out of 124 countries.

In an interview with NPR last year, author Tom Lippman explained that the rapidly-industrializing Kingdom's rising population is creating an "insatiable demand for energy because most of the water comes from desalination, and the desalination plants are huge consumers of electricity."

Saudi Arabia is the world's largest producer of desalinated water, pumping out more than 3 million cubic meters of potable water each day.

According to a report by MIT Technology Review, the country uses 1.5 million barrels of oil per day on water desalination.

In addition to its water needs, the sun-scorched country also has to power air-conditioning units and all sorts of appliances for its consumer society.

"You can imagine what it takes to air-condition Saudi Arabia in the summertime," Lippman said, adding that domestic demand can take as much as 30% of production during the summertime.

Saudi Aramco's CEO Khalid al-Falih estimates that "rising domestic energy consumption could result in the loss of 3 million barrels per day of crude oil exports by the end of the decade," the US Energy Information Administration reports.

Essentially, Saudi Arabia is looking to diversify its energy mix so that it can devote more oil to exports. In fact, the Kingdom is so keen on saving its oil for export purposes that its goal is to generate almost half of its energy from renewable fuels by 2020.

Abundant with oil but also sunshine

Nuclear power is only part of the solution. Saudi Arabia also plans on building the world's largest solar powered desalination plant in the city of Al-Khafji.

According to Bloomberg, the country's goal is to create a solar industry that will generate a third of nation's electricity by 2032.

And its taking this goal seriously: In 2012 the Kingdom announced that it would invest $100 billion in solar power. According to OilPrice, the country was producing only 3 megawatts of solar power at the time. The plan would add 41,000 megawatts within two decades.

“We are not only looking for building solar plants. We want to run a sustainable solar energy sector that will become a driver for the domestic energy for years to come,” Maher al-Odan, a consultant at the King Abdullah City for Atomic and Renewable Energy said, as reported by OilPrice.

Here's why Saudi Arabia needs nuclear power



Nuclear Power in Saudi Arabia

Nuclear program of Saudi Arabia - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

Nuclear energy in Saudi Arabia - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

http://english.alarabiya.net/en/News/middle-east/2013/05/21/Will-Riyadh-get-the-bomb-.html

16 nuclear reactors to be ready by 2030 | Arab News — Saudi Arabia News, Middle East News, Opinion, Economy and more.
 
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We are fine with Saudi having Nuclear Energy.

The Iranis cannot because they lie habitually.
 
Good for Saudi Arabia, develop this nuclear power to benefit the nation and when the MB takes over in the near future we will weaponize it immediately. :rofl::rofl::rofl::rofl:
 
Good for Saudi Arabia, develop this nuclear power to benefit the nation and when the MB takes over in the near future we will weaponize it immediately. :rofl::rofl::rofl::rofl:

:lol:

The MB won't even get a foot in the door in Saudi before being slapped back out.

You have no chance. Egypt doesn't want them and they've had MB for 80 years!! :lol:

The region is much more likely to unite against the MB and Islamism you so cherish :lol:
 
:lol:

The MB won't even get a foot in the door in Saudi before being slapped back out.

You have no chance. Egypt doesn't want them and they've had MB for 80 years!! :lol:

The region is much more likely to unite against the MB and Islamism you so cherish :lol:

I swear by God we will gain influence everywhere in Islamic land and I swear by God we will weaponize everything and I swear by God our ultimate goal that God destined for us is the liberation of the Holy Land. I swear by God you will see no security in the future. This is God's will!
 
I swear by God we will gain influence everywhere in Islamic land and I swear by God we will weaponize everything and I swear by God our ultimate goal that God destined for us is the liberation of the Holy Land. I swear by God you will see no security in the future. This is God's will!


You'll die so hard :lol:
 
Why they need nuclear power I think it's good for energy sources but if these weapons fall into extremists hands it will be problem
 
We are fine with Saudi having Nuclear Energy.
:lol: don't kid yourself.

Any mention of nukes by Saudi govt. and the whole world will come to a standstill. This is not my opinion, this is a fact. There will be a bigger outcry than the Iran debacle.

Anyway, no offence to any Saudis, but they do not have the technology to make a nuke on their own.
 
:lol: don't kid yourself.

Any mention of nukes by Saudi govt. and the whole world will come to a standstill. This is not my opinion, this is a fact. There will be a bigger outcry than the Iran debacle.

Anyway, no offence to any Saudis, but they do not have the technology to make a nuke on their own.
Not sure. The Saudi regime doesn't have the wide-eyed fanaticism of Iran.

I wouldn't personally be as worried with a Saudi nuke as I would be with the mad Mullahs who chant "death to Israel and America" every Friday. That shows the lunacy of that regime.

Anyway, this is about energy as opposed to Nukes. I would have no worries with Saudis have Nuclear energy if it was inspected.
 
I swear by God we will gain influence everywhere in Islamic land and I swear by God we will weaponize everything and I swear by God our ultimate goal that God destined for us is the liberation of the Holy Land. I swear by God you will see no security in the future. This is God's will!


 
We die we die, we glorify martyrdom, all of us will die one day. You think Hamas fights because they're scared? :lol:
I don't know, they spend a lot of time underground cowering and hiding like that fat rat you love so much - Nasrallah. :lol:

Hamas also begs Israel not to target their leaders and sends letters begging Israel not to hit Gaza :lol:
 
I swear by God we will gain influence everywhere in Islamic land and I swear by God we will weaponize everything and I swear by God our ultimate goal that God destined for us is the liberation of the Holy Land. I swear by God you will see no security in the future. This is God's will!
i dont understand what has morsi for example done in his 1 year to make you think he could change something every where they are you find destruction and death the brotherhood is the number 1 threat to the middle east the Egyptian GCC alliance to keep the MB away is just the start
trust me no good will ever come from them as rulers or oppsition
 

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