The phoro is sourced from World Nuclear News
SMART100 is a light water reactor that uses ordinary water as a coolant and neutron moderator. The reactor is equipped with passive safety systems that can shut it down in an emergency without the need for an external power source. All reactor components, including the steam generator and heat pumps, are combined into a single vessel, reducing the risk of accidents caused by pipe ruptures. The reactor will be assembled at the manufacturing plant, after which it will be transported to its place of operation.
This solution could find application in Saudi Arabia, which signed a memorandum with South Korea in 2019 to commercialize small modular reactors of the SMART series. So far, a key role in Saudi Arabia’s power industry has been played by thermal power plants using hydrocarbons as feedstock: according to Ember, gas accounted for 62.7% of the country’s power generation in 2023, with oil and oil products totaling 36% and renewable energy sources (RES) making up a mere 1.3%.
However, the country’s natural and climatic conditions provide good opportunities for the development of low-carbon energy: as reported by the International Gas Union, the estimated cost of producing green hydrogen with the use of water electrolysis and RES stands at $5.1 per kilogram in Saudi Arabia, $6 per kg in Australia and $7.5 per kg in Japan.
Nuclear energy is gradually becoming more and more widespread in the Middle East. The first country in the region to build a nuclear power plant was the United Arab Emirates (UAE), which brought the fourth power unit of the Barakah NPP into operation in 2024. The power plant will provide 25% of the country’s power needs and reduce its carbon dioxide emissions by 22.4 million tons per year, which is equivalent to the annual CO2 emissions of 4.6 million internal combustion engine cars. The project will also allow the UAE to achieve one-fourth of its greenhouse gas emission reduction targets for the period up to 2030.