ABU DHABI/KHOBAR, Saudi Arabia (Reuters) - Saudi Arabia has sent a request for information (RFI) to international suppliers to build two nuclear power plants, a first step towards a formal tender, three sources said.
The kingdom is considering building 17.6 gigawatts (GW) of nuclear capacity by 2032, the equivalent of about 17 reactors, making it one of the biggest prospects for an industry struggling after the 2011 nuclear disaster in Japan.
The world's biggest exporter of oil wants to reduce the amount of crude it burns at home to generate electricity so it can sell more of it overseas.
"Saudi Arabia has just sent the request for information to various companies and it is being examined," one industry source told Reuters, adding that firms had about two months to respond.
A second industry source confirmed that Saudi authorities had sent an RFI, which is a request to nuclear vendors to submit non-binding offers to build a nuclear reactor.
"We sent a communication to suppliers," a Saudi official told Reuters without giving details.
One source said Saudi Arabia planned to organise a nuclear conference in Riyadh in coming months. READ MORE
