عربي English Türkçe اردو فارسى
Logo
Latest News
Business

Russia Proposes 'VVER' Reactors for First Saudi Nuclear Power Plant

The logo of Rosatom Corp. is pictured at the World Nuclear Exhibition (WNE), the trade fair event for the global nuclear community in France, on June 26, 2018. REUTERS/Benoit Tessier/File Photo
The logo of Rosatom Corp. is pictured at the World Nuclear Exhibition (WNE), the trade fair event for the global nuclear community in France, on June 26, 2018. REUTERS/Benoit Tessier/File Photo
TT
TT

Russia Proposes 'VVER' Reactors for First Saudi Nuclear Power Plant

The logo of Rosatom Corp. is pictured at the World Nuclear Exhibition (WNE), the trade fair event for the global nuclear community in France, on June 26, 2018. REUTERS/Benoit Tessier/File Photo
The logo of Rosatom Corp. is pictured at the World Nuclear Exhibition (WNE), the trade fair event for the global nuclear community in France, on June 26, 2018. REUTERS/Benoit Tessier/File Photo

Moscow looks forward to expanding the horizons of Russian-Saudi cooperation in nuclear technology, especially in designing and building peaceful atomic power plants in the Kingdom, Rosatom State Nuclear Energy Corporation revealed to Asharq Al-Awsat.

"VVER" nuclear reactors - 'water-water energy reactor' - are a crucial product that Rosatom offers in its bidding portfolio, said Alexander Voronkov, CEO of ROSATOM Regional Center in the Middle East and Northern Africa region.

Voronkov added that Russia has proposed installing the hydro energy reactors to the first nuclear power plant Saudi Arabia plans to build in coming years.

Speaking to Asharq Al-Awsat, the Rosatom CEO confirms that the Russian reactor has withstood the test of time and has been developed since 1955.

To date, no VVER-equipped power plant has registered any serious mishap, which favors the technology when compared to its many competitors in the international market, explained Voronkov.

Since October 2017, Rosatom has been engaged in competitive talks for helping establish Saudi Arabia's first nuclear power plant.

In December 2017, Rosatom and the King Abdullah City for Atomic and Renewable Energy signed a roadmap for cooperation in the peaceful use of nuclear energy.

Voronkov pointed out that Rosatom is involved in nuclear power plant construction projects in 12 countries worldwide, including Turkey and Egypt.

He added that a focus on Russian projects with VVER-1200 reactors offers safety that is of particular importance to countries new to the nuclear industry, such as Saudi Arabia.

"Our gained experience allows us to support the client at any stage of the implementation of any nuclear project," affirmed Voronkov, noting that the construction of a nuclear power plant constitutes a complex, comprehensive, and multifaceted task.

According to Voronkov, Rosatom can help with several areas such as design and construction, refueling, operation and maintenance services, modernizing generating units, educating and training staffers, and raising the level of public acceptance of nuclear energy.

Most Viewed

 
 
Business

HUMAIN, Mistral Collaborate to Advance Sovereign AI in Saudi Arabia and Regionally

Guests at the booth of Saudi AI company HUMAIN during the Future Investment Initiative conference in Riyadh (Company photo)
Guests at the booth of Saudi AI company HUMAIN during the Future Investment Initiative conference in Riyadh (Company photo)
TT
TT

HUMAIN, Mistral Collaborate to Advance Sovereign AI in Saudi Arabia and Regionally

Guests at the booth of Saudi AI company HUMAIN during the Future Investment Initiative conference in Riyadh (Company photo)
Guests at the booth of Saudi AI company HUMAIN during the Future Investment Initiative conference in Riyadh (Company photo)

Saudi Arabia’s HUMAIN and French Artificial Intelligence company Mistral have announced a strategic collaboration spanning AI infrastructure, advanced model development, and the deployment of AI solutions in Saudi Arabia and across the region.

“Together, the companies will pursue the development and localization of advanced AI models, with initial areas of focus including cybersecurity and voice,” HUMAIN said in a statement on Monday.

“The companies also plan to develop frontier models that perform strongly in Arabic language to help support the broader region. This represents a collaboration in the hundreds of millions of Euros.”

“As part of the collaboration, Mistral will explore using HUMAIN's data center infrastructure to support growing local compute needs,” said the statement.

It added that the two companies also plan to develop a joint go-to-market strategy in the Kingdom focused on bringing advanced AI solutions to regulated industries.

CEO of HUMAIN Tareq Amin said on X that “the collaboration spans AI infrastructure, advanced model development and AI solutions, including plans to develop and localize frontier models with strong Arabic-language capabilities.”

According to the HUMAIN statement, “the collaboration is designed to meet growing demand for sovereign AI: AI that keeps data, intelligence, compute, and operations under the customer's control.”

“That means data can remain within customer-defined boundaries, models can be adapted and owned on open weights, training and inference can run on infrastructure and in jurisdictions the customer chooses, and AI systems can be deployed, governed, observed, and improved over time without ceding control of the learning loop to an external platform.”

The statement stressed its importance in financial services, manufacturing, telecommunications, cybersecurity, and the public sector.

Business

Oil Steadies as Investors Weigh Impact of Latest US Sanctions on Iran

Tankers anchor near Venezuelan state oil company PDVSA's Jose terminal while waiting to load and discharge, in Puerto La Cruz, Venezuela August 9, 2026. (Reuters)
Tankers anchor near Venezuelan state oil company PDVSA's Jose terminal while waiting to load and discharge, in Puerto La Cruz, Venezuela August 9, 2026. (Reuters)
TT
TT

Oil Steadies as Investors Weigh Impact of Latest US Sanctions on Iran

Tankers anchor near Venezuelan state oil company PDVSA's Jose terminal while waiting to load and discharge, in Puerto La Cruz, Venezuela August 9, 2026. (Reuters)
Tankers anchor near Venezuelan state oil company PDVSA's Jose terminal while waiting to load and discharge, in Puerto La Cruz, Venezuela August 9, 2026. (Reuters)

Oil prices recovered ground on Tuesday after settling down more than 2% in the previous session, with investors assessing the impact of the latest US sanctions against Iran.

Brent crude futures rose 27 cents, or 0.3%, to $92.44 a barrel by 0330 GMT, while US West Texas Intermediate crude was up 37 cents, or 0.4%, at $85.38.

Both contracts settled lower on Monday, with US crude oil falling to a one-week low on profit taking after prices rallied over the previous two weeks.

"The market seems largely unfazed by Washington's push for tighter economic pressure ‌on Iran, with ‌traders treating the US effort to nudge partners away from Iranian ‌trade ⁠as marginal rather than ⁠market moving," said ING commodity strategists in a note on Tuesday.

US Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent on Monday unveiled an expansion of sanctions to cut off Iran's economic lifeline, to force an end to the war between them, telling countries they would need to sever their business ties or risk being cut out of the dollar-based financial system.

However, he declined to identify the countries that would be targeted or reveal when those penalties would take effect, saying ⁠he would instead provide them time to comply with ‌the new directive.

While US Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth said ‌on Monday the US would not rule out using military force against Iran, the country is turning ‌towards more economic coercion, which analysts said removed concerns about threats to Middle ‌Eastern oil supply because of the war.

"Markets appear to be pricing economic pressure as a lower-risk path for physical supply than kinetic action, which is why the initial reaction was for oil to move lower rather than spike higher," said Tim Waterer, chief market analyst at KCM.

However, he warned, "Iran still ‌retains the ability to respond by disrupting shipping, which continues to keep a residual premium in the oil price."

Iran is still maintaining it should have control over the key Strait of Hormuz, which before the war started in February typically carried cargoes equal to about 20% of global oil use. On Monday, it named 45 tankers that had broken its rules on crossing the strait and threatened action against them, including confiscating their cargoes.

The supply disruptions as a result of the US-Israeli war on Iran that started on February 28 have caused countries to draw down their commercial and strategic reserves.

On Monday, the Department of Energy reported stocks of crude oil in the US Strategic Petroleum Reserve fell by about 3.7 million barrels to 289.7 million barrels last week, the lowest since November 1982.

Business

Gold Steadies after Hitting over 3-month Peak, US Inflation Data Looms

A saleswoman adjusts gold jewelry displayed for sale in a shop in Lianyungang City, eastern Jiangsu Province, China (AFP)
A saleswoman adjusts gold jewelry displayed for sale in a shop in Lianyungang City, eastern Jiangsu Province, China (AFP)
TT
TT

Gold Steadies after Hitting over 3-month Peak, US Inflation Data Looms

A saleswoman adjusts gold jewelry displayed for sale in a shop in Lianyungang City, eastern Jiangsu Province, China (AFP)
A saleswoman adjusts gold jewelry displayed for sale in a shop in Lianyungang City, eastern Jiangsu Province, China (AFP)

Gold held steady after hitting its highest in more than three months on Tuesday, as investor focus shifted to upcoming US inflation data and a speech later this week by Federal Reserve Chair Kevin Warsh.

Spot gold steadied at $4,645.67 per ounce by 0651 GMT, after scaling its highest since May 14 earlier. US gold futures rose 0.1% to $4,702.00.

"Looking ahead, we expect dips in gold to be well-supported from ⁠buyers looking for ⁠gold to make its way towards the next upside resistance at $4,900/$5,000," IG market analyst Tony Sycamore said.

Prices rose sharply last week after the US Treasury Department said it would double the size of liquidity support buyback operations for longer-dated notes and bonds. The announcement spurred currency debasement fears.

"These US ⁠dollar debasement fears should see gold be well-supported in the coming weeks, as the Fed has not been sending a clear signal it is ready to fight higher inflation," TD Securities said in a note.

"However, it's too early for the metal to surge to our $5,350/oz target, given the risk rates on the short term may eventually rise as crude grinds higher."

While gold is widely regarded as an inflation hedge, elevated rates can curb its appeal as it is a ⁠non-yielding asset.

Fed Chairman ⁠Warsh's debut speech at the annual Jackson Hole conference this week has taken on added weight as traders and analysts look for guidance about the recent jump in bond yields and for reassurance of his independence from the Trump administration.

The US Personal Consumption Expenditures report, the Fed's preferred inflation gauge, is due on Wednesday.

On the geopolitical front, Iran promised to retaliate against expanded US economic sanctions that Washington said would cut off Tehran's economic lifeline.

Among other metals, spot silver fell 0.7% to $68.43 per ounce, platinum lost 1.1% to $1,854.67 and palladium slipped 1.4% to $1,338.15.