meed-logo

line1 line2 line3
SIGN IN / REGISTER

Small reactors top nuclear agenda

25 August 2023

This package also includes: Mena pushes for nuclear future

 

Small modular reactor (SMR) solutions could offset concerns about capital expenditure, construction delays and spent-fuel reprocessing that large-scale nuclear power plants present.

SMRs are advanced nuclear reactors that have a power capacity of up to 300MW a unit, which is about one-third of the generating capacity of traditional nuclear power reactors, according to the International Atomic Energy Agency.

They can be factory-assembled, transported and installed in locations not suitable for larger nuclear power plants, such as industrial zones or remote areas with limited grid capacity. This makes them more affordable and easier to build than large reactors.

So far, there are only two advanced SMR installations globally, one in China and the other in Russia. The US’ NuScale is also working towards deploying its first modules in Idaho.

Saudi Arabia and Jordan have been considering deploying SMR solutions as part of their nuclear power programmes.

In 2020, King Abdullah City for Atomic & Renewable Energy (KA-Care) and South Korea’s Science & ICT (Information & Communication Technology) Ministry set up a joint venture to undertake the commercialisation and construction of South Korea’s system-integrated modular advanced reactor technology in the kingdom with the help of Korea Hydro & Nuclear Power.

Nuclear energy is having a revival moment as a recognised part of climate mitigation
Karen Young, Centre on Global Energy Policy, Columbia University

Seeking partners

Jordan, for its part, signed an agreement with Russia for the construction of two 1,000MW reactors in 2015, but the project was cancelled three years later.

Jordan is now considering small nuclear reactors and is talking to potential partners including Russia, South Korea, France and the UK to determine the optimal technical specifications and how to adapt the reactors to the Jordanian environment, Khaled Toukan, chairman of the Jordan Atomic Energy Commission, said in April.

Jordan hopes to use small nuclear reactors for water desalination and power production.

“We have done all the studies,” Toukan said at the time. “The infrastructure is in place, and studies on site selection and the provision of cooling water are in place. Now, we are comparing technologies and we want to get the go-ahead from the government.”

According to Karen Young, a senior research scholar at the Centre on Global Energy Policy at Columbia University in the US, “nuclear energy is having a revival moment as a recognised part of climate mitigation”. 

She says: “We simply do not have other ways of ramping up non-carbon energy production as easily. Technology innovations in SMRs, among others, make this look like a more viable option.”

However, SMRs are as yet unproven, points out Paddy Padmanathan, co-founder and vice-chairman of green hydrogen firm Zhero. He adds that solar and wind projects with battery energy storage systems cost significantly less, despite the subsidies some governments allocate to nuclear power plant projects.

We simply do not have other ways of ramping up non-carbon energy production as easily

Spent fuel

Regardless of a nuclear plant’s size, the storage or reprocessing of the resulting highly radioactive solid waste is a key safety and environmental concern. 

Nuclear reactors require ceramic pellets of low-enriched uranium oxide. These are stacked vertically and encased in metallic cladding to form a fuel rod. The fuel rods are bundled into fuel assemblies that are placed into the reactor. 

The fuel pellets remain in the reactors for five or six years of operation, or until the fission process uses up the uranium fuel. 

The US, which generates about 2,000 tonnes of spent fuel a year, stores the solid waste across 70 reactor sites in the country. Research and development into how to recycle spent fuel, or to design advanced reactors that could consume it, is also under way.

With 58 nuclear power plants generating over 70 per cent of its electricity, France produces nearly 1,150 tonnes of spent fuel a year. Unlike the US, France recycles spent fuel through a process that converts spent plutonium – formed in nuclear power reactors as a by-product of burning uranium fuel – and uranium into a mixed oxide that can be reused in nuclear plants to produce more electricity.

In Iran, meanwhile, the policy at the 1,000MW Bushehr reactor entails cooling down spent fuel in an onsite pool, a process that takes at least five years. It is then transported in steel cylinders that are welded closed to a central storage location in the country’s Anarak region.

UAE policy

The UAE government is developing a long-term storage policy for spent fuel from its Barakah nuclear power plant, the first reactor of which began producing electricity in 2021. The current plan involves placing the fuel assemblies in concrete and steel-lined cooling pools located at the Barakah plant, after which they will be stored in dry casks either on site or at a long-term storage facility.

According to Emirates Nuclear Energy Corporation, the UAE still has plenty of time to make decisions about spent-fuel management, as the first batch of nuclear fuel will be stored for 20-30 years in the spent-fuel pool.

https://image.digitalinsightresearch.in/uploads/NewsArticle/11020048/main.gif
Jennifer Aguinaldo

Register for MEED's guest program now to access this article.

Click here to register
Exclusive from Meed
Related Articles
  • Adnoc Gas to move prudently on Bab gas cap project

    10 August 2026

    Adnoc Gas, the natural gas processing business of Abu Dhabi National Oil Company (Adnoc Group), has said it is treading cautiously towards a final investment decision (FID) on its estimated $8bn Bab gas cap development project.

    The project aims to build a gas processing plant in the Bab area, about 170 kilometres from Abu Dhabi city, along with associated pipeline networks and ancillary units, to process up to 1.85 billion cubic feet a day (cf/d) of additional raw gas once its parent company starts production from the Bab gas caps.

    “We are at an early stage when it comes to engagement with the market on Bab gas cap. At this stage, we are not in a position to discuss any of the technical or commercial aspects of the Bab gas cap project,” Fatema Al-Nuaimi, Adnoc Gas CEO, said in response to a question from MEED during a press conference on 10 August.

    Adnoc Gas has divided the engineering, procurement and construction (EPC) scope of work on the Bab gas cap development project into four main packages:

    • EPC package 1 – Main Bab gas cap plant
    • EPC package 2 – Early civil works
    • EPC package 3 – Pipelines
    • EPC package 4 – Non-process facilities and associated works package

    Adnoc Gas issued the tender for the main Bab gas cap plant on 25 June and set an initial deadline of 17 July for contractors to submit technical bids. The company then extended the technical bid submission deadline by four months until 16 November, MEED recently reported.

    Peter Van Driel, chief financial officer of Adnoc Gas, said: “There are two parts to this. You have an upstream decision and an Adnoc Gas decision.

    “Upstream [Adnoc Group] has started to develop the Bab gas cap reservoir. At Adnoc Gas, we have a funnel of opportunities. Today, we announced the FID on phases two and three of the Rich Gas Development project,” Van Driel said.

    “As part of future opportunities, we may invest in infrastructure specifically for the Bab gas cap project, and that is a pending decision,” he added.

    “We have focused our decision-making on phases two and three of the Rich Gas Development project. With all of these decisions, we do a very thorough assessment. We are not in a hurry to make these decisions. We want to ensure we have the right feed composition, competitive landscape and demand.

    “[Gas] demand in the UAE remains strong. Electricity demand, for example, grows by approximately 3% every year, and we also see a very robust demand profile for gas in export markets,” he told journalists on the call.

    Bab Gas Cap project tendering

    As part of its upstream production growth targets for 2030, Adnoc Group is working to extract gas from four underdeveloped gas cap reservoirs at the Bab onshore field – Thammama A, Thammama B, Thammama F and Thammama H. The Thammama A, B and H reservoirs are estimated to collectively produce 1.45 billion cubic feet a day (cf/d) of gas, while output from the Thammama F gas cap is expected to reach 396 million cf/d.

    Existing trains at the Habshan processing complex in Abu Dhabi will be unable to handle the new gas volumes. Adnoc Gas is therefore required to build new facilities to process up to 1.85 billion cf/d of additional raw gas when its parent company starts production from the Bab gas caps.

    Abu Dhabi Securities Exchange-listed Adnoc Gas issued an expression of interest (EoI) to contractors for the main EPC tendering process for the Bab gas cap plant on 10 February. The company set an initial EoI submission deadline of 17 February, which it later extended to 20 February. Contractors submitted responses by that date, MEED reported.

    Following completion of the prequalification phase, contractors that expressed interest formed the following teams to compete in the main contract tendering round, according to sources:

    • Larsen & Toubro Energy Hydrocarbon (India) + Samsung E&A (South Korea)
    • Saipem (Italy) + NMDC Energy (UAE)
    • Technip Energies (France) + JGC Corporation (Japan) + Sinopec (China)
    • Tecnimont (Italy) + China Petroleum Engineering and Construction Corporation (CPECC)

    The other three packages are also in the main contract tendering stages, sources have said. Separately, another Adnoc Group subsidiary, Adnoc Onshore, is preparing to issue the main tender for a project involving the tie-in of gas-producing and injection wells at the gas cap reservoirs of Abu Dhabi’s onshore Bab field, which forms part of the wider integrated Bab gas cap development programme.

    Prior to issuing the EoIs for the Bab gas cap development project packages, Adnoc Gas completed an early engagement process with contractors in September and October last year, as MEED previously reported.

    In December last year, Adnoc Gas awarded the front-end engineering and design (feed) works for the Bab gas cap development project – which will increase its gas processing capacity by about 20% – to Australia-based consultancy Worley. The feed contract covers more than 1.2 million man-hours, making it the largest engineering job awarded by Adnoc Gas to date.

    Bab Gas Cap concession

    In addition to Adnoc Gas overseeing the main EPC tendering exercise for the gas processing plant, Abu Dhabi’s Supreme Council for Financial and Economic Affairs (SCFEA) awarded concession agreements in June for the development and production of the Bab gas cap reserve in the emirate.

    Adnoc will hold the majority 60% participating interest in the concession. The remaining stakes will be held by France’s TotalEnergies (10%), the UK’s BP (10%), China National Petroleum Corporation (CNPC) International (8%), Japan Oil Development Company (Jodco) Onshore (5%), China ZhenHua Oil (4%) and Korea GS E&P (3%).

    According to SCFEA, the Bab gas cap development and production concession represents the largest gas cap development project of its kind globally, the Abu Dhabi Media Office said in a report.

    A gas cap refers to the free natural gas that sits above an underlying oil reservoir — in this case, the giant Bab onshore oil field in Abu Dhabi.

    The project, operated by Adnoc Onshore, is expected to have a production capacity of approximately 1.5 billion cf/d of natural gas, equivalent to about 15% of Adnoc Gas’ total operational gas processing capacity.

    “This underscores the strategic significance of the project, which is expected to contribute to the UAE’s gas self-sufficiency, support the continued development of the country’s petrochemicals sector and advance Adnoc’s plans to expand its liquefied natural gas export capacity,” the Abu Dhabi Media Office said in its report.

    https://image.digitalinsightresearch.in/uploads/NewsArticle/18281827/main4640.jpg
    Indrajit Sen
  • Adnoc Gas reaffirms $28bn capex for 2026-30

    10 August 2026

    Register for MEED’s 14-day trial access 

    Adnoc Gas, the gas processing subsidiary of Abu Dhabi National Oil Company (Adnoc Group), has announced it is executing a capital expenditure (capex) budget of $28bn for 2026 to 2030, reaffirming the spending plan it previously committed to for the period.

    As part of that capex plan, Adnoc Gas said it achieved final investment decision (FID) on the second and third phases of its Rich Gas Development (RGD) programme earlier this year.

    The company awarded $8.2bn of engineering, procurement and construction (EPC) contracts for the second and third phases of the RGD programme. These relate to the construction of a new gas processing train at the Habshan complex and a natural gas liquids (NGL) fractionation train at the Ruwais gas processing facility, respectively.

    MEED reported in March that Adnoc Gas had selected the main EPC contractors for both the Habshan 7 gas processing train and the Ruwais NGL Train 5 projects.

    Adnoc Gas officially announced the award of EPC contracts for the two projects, saying it awarded China-based Wison Engineering a $3.9bn contract for RGD phase 2, while Italy’s Tecnimont was selected for the $4.3bn third phase.

    Phase 2 will add a new natural gas processing train at the Habshan facility, “expanding Adnoc Gas’ natural gas processing capacity, enhancing operational flexibility, and supporting the UAE’s expanding downstream and petrochemical sectors”, the company said in a statement.

    Phase 3 will add a new NGL fractionation train at Ruwais, “increasing the recovery of higher-value liquids from rich natural gas for export, strengthening Adnoc Gas’ global customer portfolio”, it said in its statement on 10 August.

    Adnoc Gas also reiterated its $5bn capex for the first phase of the RGD scheme, which is under construction. The company awarded $5bn of engineering, procurement and construction management contracts in three tranches for phase 1 of the RGD in June last year, marking the company’s largest-ever capital investment.

    With all three phases combined, Adnoc Gas has made a total investment of $13.2bn in the RGD programme.

    “We continued investing through the cycle and advancing megaprojects that will define the next phase of Adnoc Gas’ growth, expanding our processing capacity and product volumes,” the company’s CEO, Fatema Al-Nuaimi, said.

    “Together with Ruwais LNG and our wider portfolio of strategic projects, we are executing one of the industry’s most ambitious gas growth programmes,” she said.

    Al-Nuaimi added: “These investments support our upgraded target of 60% [earnings before interest, taxes, depreciation and amortisation] Ebitda growth by 2030, which was previously 40%. Delivering that ambition will see us invest approximately $28bn between 2026 and 2030.

    “We’re able to make these investments because we’re in a strong financial position. What matters here is this: we are reaffirming our dividend policy, we fund this growth programme and we deliver returns to shareholders. That is not an either/or,” she said.

    Second-quarter financial results

    Adnoc Gas detailed its capex plan as part of a media roundtable to discuss its financial results for the second quarter of the year (Q2 2026).

    The company achieved net income of $665m in Q2 2026 – above the upper end of the $400m-$600m guidance range provided in the first quarter – “reflecting strong operational performance in a challenging operating environment. This was supported by resilient margins in the domestic gas business”.

    Supported by its cash flow from operations, the company’s board has approved a quarterly dividend of $940m, payable in September, in line with its commitment to deliver annual dividend growth of 5% through 2030.

    Adnoc Gas remains the largest dividend payer on the Abu Dhabi Securities Exchange (ADX), where it listed in March 2023.

    Additionally, the company said: “Continued disruption to maritime movements through the Strait of Hormuz affected product liftings during the second quarter. Through proactive inventory, logistics and supply-chain management, Adnoc Gas worked closely with customers and partners to mitigate the impact of these disruptions, manage temporary constraints and fulfil commitments wherever possible.”

    For Q3 2026, Adnoc Gas said it expects profit in the range of $600m to $800m, “based on the assumption that maritime routes through the Strait of Hormuz continue to be disrupted”.

    https://image.digitalinsightresearch.in/uploads/NewsArticle/18268452/main.jpg
    Indrajit Sen
  • Chinese contractor wins Morocco solar plant deal

    10 August 2026

    China Harbour Engineering Company (CHEC), a subsidiary of China Communications Construction Company (CCCC), has won a contract to build a solar photovoltaic (PV) power plant in Fez in northern Morocco.

    Known as GreenPower Morocco 4 (GPM4), the project is being developed by Moroccan company GPM Holding through its utility-scale solar subsidiary GPM Parks.

    The project covers engineering design, equipment procurement and installation, construction of an operation and maintenance building, grid connection and commissioning. It also includes upgrades to the associated substation.

    According to CHEC, the completed plant will supply electricity to the local grid, although it did not disclose the project’s capacity or contract value. 

    The project is being developed under Law 13-09, which provides Morocco’s framework for private renewable energy generation.

    According to its website, GPM Holding is also developing another solar PV project called GreenPower Morocco 2 (GPM2). This follows the completion of its first solar project, the 34MW project (GPM1) commissioned in Tangier in 2024. 

    GPM1 was developed by Green Power Morocco, a special purpose vehicle owned by GPM Holding and UAE-based Amea Power. The $30m project covers 75 hectares and includes 91,000 PV panels. It is expected to generate about 66,149MWh a year.

    The project has a 25-year power purchase agreement in place with Amendis, a subsidiary of Veolia Morocco. PowerChina was the main engineering, procurement and construction (EPC) contractor.

    Chinese contractors have previously been involved in other projects in Morocco’s renewable energy sector.

    Shandong Electric Power Construction Company (Sepco 3), a subsidiary of PowerChina, was part of the EPC consortium for the 200MW Noor 2 concentrated solar plants and 150MW Noor 3 concentrated solar power projects at the Noor Ouarzazate complex.

    New contract awards have been limited in Morocco in 2026, although six solar PV plants are now in the execution stage under phases one and two of the 305MW Noor Atlas solar PV programme.

    https://image.digitalinsightresearch.in/uploads/NewsArticle/18263680/main.jpg
    Mark Dowdall
  • Aramco puts out fire at Jizan refinery after Houthi strike

    10 August 2026

    Saudi Aramco said it had extinguished a fire that broke out at its Jizan refinery on Saudi Arabia’s Red Sea coast after the facility was hit in drone strikes by Yemen-based Houthi rebels on 9 August.

    The kingdom’s Ministry of Energy said the fire occurred at an Aramco refinery facility in Jizan and that emergency authorities had completed the necessary procedures to deal with the incident.

    The energy ministry did not say what started the fire, saying only that the incident caused no injuries.

    The Houthi rebels later claimed responsibility for the attack.

    The province of Jizan lies close to Saudi Arabia’s border with Yemen and has repeatedly been targeted by the Houthis in attacks on the kingdom’s energy infrastructure.

    The strike on the Jizan refinery was the second attack on the facility by the Houthis in as many weeks. Aramco shut the refinery on 27 July following a similar drone strike, which, according to media reports, damaged the integrated gasification combined-cycle unit and tank farm at the complex.

    On a call with investors to discuss Aramco’s second-quarter results, CEO Amin Nasser said recent attacks on the company’s facilities in the world’s top oil-exporting country had caused some disruption to production, but that he was confident operations could be restored quickly. He said the attacks had had no material operational or financial impact.

    Jizan refinery complex

    Saudi Aramco’s sprawling Jizan refinery complex entered operations in 2021.

    Aramco undertook the estimated $16bn-plus project in late 2010. The scheme consists of a refinery with an output capacity of 400,000 barrels a day (b/d), a major marine terminal and a 4GW combined-cycle power plant in Baish, in Saudi Arabia’s southwestern Jizan region.

    The Jizan refinery covers an area of 12 square kilometres. The complex processes Arabian Heavy and Arabian Medium crude grades to produce 80 million b/d of gasoline, 250 million b/d of diesel and more than 1 million tonnes a year of petrochemical products such as benzene and paraxylene.

    A multiple-pier marine terminal supports the supply of crude oil from oil fields located mainly in the kingdom’s Eastern Province to the refinery, as well as the export of surplus refined products to overseas markets. The terminal has been designed to accommodate very large crude carriers.

    A 4,000MW combined-cycle power plant uses approximately 90,000 b/d of vacuum residue from the refinery to generate electricity, hydrogen and water for the refinery, while conveying excess power to the national grid.

    The hydrocracker unit comprises two parallel trains with a combined capacity of 54,500 b/d. The diesel hydrotreater plant comprises two trains, each with a capacity of 87,500 b/d.

    https://image.digitalinsightresearch.in/uploads/NewsArticle/18262347/main.jpg
    Indrajit Sen
  • Shamal picks Dutco for Dubai Zoo site homes

    10 August 2026

    Dubai-based Shamal Holding has awarded local contractor Dutco Construction the main construction works contract for a low-rise residential project on the site of the former Dubai Zoo in Jumeirah 1.

    The project will comprise 90 low-rise homes and is designed as a residential leasing community that will remain under Shamal’s ownership, with all homes offered for premium leasing.

    The development will retain mature trees from the former zoo and is planned around shared courtyards, landscaped open spaces and a central park. Residents will have access to a clubhouse, wellness area, children’s play area, family pool, lounge and gym.

    The architect is DXB Lab. The local H&H is the development manager for the project.

    Dutco has previously worked with Shamal on infrastructure elements of the Dubai Harbour and Dubai Harbour Marinas developments.

    Shamal’s wider real estate portfolio includes the Naia Island, Dubai Harbour and Nad Al-Sheba Gardens developments. The company also holds hospitality and leisure assets, including partnerships with Jumeirah, Hilton and Baccarat, and operates attractions such as Skydive Dubai and Deep Dive Dubai.

    https://image.digitalinsightresearch.in/uploads/NewsArticle/18262386/main.png
    Colin Foreman