Atomic energy to help boost energy program

VITAL SECTOR: The renewable energy capacity to be attained by 2020 will be increased to 3,450MW.

RIYADH: Atomic and renewable energy will play a key role in the national energy program, devised under Vision 2030, by supporting promising sectors and fostering their success, as part of Riyadh’s efforts to work on economic diversification.
“The objective is very strongly linked with Vision 2030 and it is aimed at the localization of the atomic and renewable energy sector.
“It also aims to provide knowledge and skills to Saudis to meet labor market requirements and develop qualitative human resources in this regard,” said a senior official at the King Abdullah City for Atomic and Renewable Energy (KACARE).
KACARE is working on a program which aims to replace 50 percent of the Kingdom’s dependence on traditional fossil fuel with eco-friendly atomic and renewable energy to be collected from resources which are naturally replenished on a human timescale, such as sunlight, wind, rain, tides, waves and geothermal heat.
“Atomic and renewable energy are playing a key role in Saudi economy in accordance with international requirements and obligations,” the official said.
The renewable energy capacity to be attained by 2020 will be increased to 3,450MW, he added. Working to this end, KACARE, in cooperation with the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA), recently organized a workshop with local experts on peaceful use of atomic energy.
The three-day workshop was attended by representatives of concerned sectors and departments, and a number of experts from the IAEA. They discussed important issues regarding knowledge management in nuclear energy.
Saudi Arabia is among the first countries that supported the international resolutions related to nuclear safety and has paid special attention to the issue of infrastructure development for nuclear security.