S.Korea gets Saudi cooperation in nuclear energy

South Korea and Saudi Arabia cooperate in the development of nuclear energy.

A bilateral agreement signed by the countries calls for cooperation in research and development, including building nuclear power plants and research reactors, as well as training, safety and waste management, according to the King Abdullah City for Atomic and Renewable Energy.

This is the third nuclear agreement Saudi Arabia signed following similar deals with France and Argentina as it struggles to keep up with rapidly rising power demand expected to triple by 2032 requiring additional energy plants with total installed power production capacity of around 80 gigawatts.

The kingdom plans to turn to solar and eventually nuclear energy to reduce its need to burn fuel oil for electricity and preserve oil for lucrative export markets. It may build up to 16 nuclear power reactors by 2030, an official at K.A.Care said.

South Korea aims to increase its reliance on nuclear energy. It has 21 reactors in operation with nuclear power accounting for 31.3 percent as of end-2010, according to latest data from the South Korean government.

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