Expert: Images show building of first Saudi nuclear reactor
DUBAI, United Arab Emirates — A nuclear technology expert says Google satellite images show Saudi Arabia is about a year away from completing the building of its first nuclear reactor. He says the construction so far appears to be very small in size, indicating the reactor is intended for research purposes.
Still, Robert Kelley says before the kingdom can insert nuclear fuel into the reactor, it would have to abide by an agreement that requires inspections by the U.N. nuclear watchdog, the International Atomic Energy Agency.
Kelley, a veteran of the U.S. Department of Energy now based in Vienna, was first to identify the images of the reactor site in Riyadh at the King Abdulaziz City of Science and Technology.
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He said Thursday the Saudi reactor is being built by the Argentinian government-owned company INVAP.
The Associated Press
