The top oil exporting country said it would set up a scientific centre for civilian nuclear and renewable energy to meet the rising demand for power and desalinated water, especially in industry, agriculture, mining, desalination and medical field.
A royal decree issued by Custodian of the Two Holy Mosques King Abdullah said 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.
The official Saudi Press Agency (SPA) said on Saturday that the new centre, the King Abdullah City for Nuclear and Renewable Energy, would be based in Riyadh and would be led by Hashim Abdullah Yamani, a former commerce and trade minister.
The city will be an independent organization and will represent the Kingdom at the International Atomic Energy Agency.
The country’s officials are alarmed by increasing oil and gas consumption. Saudi Arabia burns 1.25m barrels of oil a day to meet domestic and industrial demand, according to the ministry of water and electricity.
The government said the centre would undertake research and develop projects in nuclear and alternative energies toward the goal of diversifying the kingdom’s power generation away from oil and natural gas.
While the Gulf kingdom has already been experimenting with alternative energy sources like solar power, the latest move confirmed its interest in nuclear energy.
Electricity power demand in the Kingdom grew by eight percent last year and is expected to grow more than 60,000 megawatt by 2020.
SPA said: “The kingdom is witnessing sustained growth in demand for power and desalinated water due to high population growth and subsidised prices of water and power.”
The royal decree said nuclear and renewable energies would ensure continued supplies of drinking water and electricity to its growing population and save hydrocarbon resources such as petroleum and gas for use by future generations, thus making them a source of income for a longer period.
A supreme council chaired by King Abdullah (prime minister) has been set up to supervise the city. Crown Prince Sultan, deputy premier and minister of defense and aviation, is the deputy chairman of the council. Second Deputy Premier and Interior Minister Prince Naif is a member of the 13-member council. Other members of the top decision-making body are the ministers of foreign affairs, higher education, petroleum and mineral resources, finance, commerce and industry, water and electricity, agriculture and health, the chief of general intelligence, State Minister Musaed Al-Aiban, the president of the city, and Muhammad Al-Suwaiyel. Hashim bin Abdullah Yamani, former minister of commerce and industry, has been appointed president of the city while the present rector of Umm Al-Qura University in Makkah, Walid bin Hussein Abulfaraj, has been appointed vice president. Both have been given the rank of a minister. Khaled bin Muhammad Al-Suleiman is another vice president.
“The peaceful use of nuclear energy will enable the state to meet the requirements of society through proper planning,” an official statement said. It said the new city would serve as a scientific and specialized authority to draft and implement national policies relating to nuclear and renewable energy, and revise related regulations. The city was established on the recommendation of a ministerial committee chaired by Foreign Minister Prince Saud Al-Faisal.
The city will encourage the private sector to develop research material on medical, agricultural, industrial and mineral products, generate electricity and produce desalinated water using atomic energy.
It will also work to enhance the capabilities of the national cadre in the field.
“The city will be exempted from all taxes and tariffs on its machinery and equipment that it imports for its scientific activities,” it said.
[Source:Arabnews,FinancialTimes,ArabianBusiness.com]
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