IAEA Hails Saudi Arabia’s Progress as First IMSAS Mission Advances Vision 2030

The International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) has completed its inaugural Management Systems Advisory Service (IMSAS) mission in the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia, carrying out an intensive, four-day review (19 – 22 May 2025) of Duwayhin Nuclear Energy Company (DNEC) in Riyadh. The milestone visit confirms that Saudi Arabia’s owner-operator for its first nuclear power plant has already put in place “a well-developed management system that effectively supports current and future activities,” according to the IAEA mission team.

What is IMSAS?

IMSAS was created by the IAEA in 2024 as a practical follow-up to its Integrated Nuclear Infrastructure Review (INIR) missions. While INIR looks at a country’s overall readiness for nuclear power, IMSAS provides a focused, hands-on appraisal of how an organization’s management system aligns with IAEA safety requirements and quality-management best practice. It combines a self-assessment with an external peer review by international experts and IAEA staff.

Saudi Arabia’s Nuclear Ambitions under Vision 2030

Saudi Arabia sees nuclear energy as a central pillar in the Vision 2030 strategy to diversify its energy mix, free up oil for export, and develop high-value technical skills. The Saudi National Atomic Energy Project, overseen by the King Abdullah City for Atomic and Renewable Energy (KA-CARE), envisages a large-scale plant on the Gulf coast as well as small modular reactors for desalination and industrial heat. The Kingdom formally rescinded the Small Quantities Protocol in 2024 and signaled its intention to adopt a full safeguards agreement, underscoring its aim to meet the highest non-proliferation standards.

Saudi Arabia reached IAEA Milestones Approach “Phase 2” status after an INIR mission in 2018, meaning it is ready to invite bids for its first plant.

Key Findings of the Mission

The seven-member IMSAS team—from Hungary, Sweden, the UK, the USA and the IAEA—praised four good practices:

1. A project-based methodology that links strategic goals to day-to-day processes.

2. Clear documentation of governance and management frameworks, giving staff unambiguous role definitions.

3. An enterprise-wide electronic management system that enhances version control and accessibility.

4. Proactive use of lessons-learned databases to capture international operating experience.

Liliya Dulinets, Head of the IAEA Nuclear Infrastructure Development Section, noted that these measures “will help support the safe and effective implementation of Saudi Arabia’s nuclear power programme.”

Recommendations and Next Steps The team issued two recommendations and four suggestions, urging DNEC to:

• Harmonize terminology across all management-system documents.

• Formalize process-development procedures and metrics.

• Strengthen line-manager ownership of continuous-improvement actions.

DNEC’s CEO, Khalid Al Gazlan, welcomed the “cold-eye review,” adding that the findings “will greatly support our continuous-improvement efforts.” The final IMSAS report is due within three months, after which DNEC will prepare an action plan and report progress to the IAEA.

Regional and International Implications

The successful IMSAS mission comes as Riyadh pursues a potential civil-nuclear cooperation agreement with the United States while keeping alternative supplier options—China, France, South Korea, Russia—on the table. Analysts say a credible, IAEA-endorsed management system strengthens Saudi Arabia’s hand in negotiations and reassures would-be vendors and financiers about project governance.(reuters.com)

Timeline Ahead

• Mid-2025 – early 2026: DNEC implements IMSAS action items; releases public summary of progress.

• 2026: Government expected to issue a formal tender for a 2.8 GW twin-unit plant at the Duwayhin site.

• 2027–2028: Preferred vendor selection, contract award, and construction licensing.

• Early 2030s: First unit targeted for commercial operation, providing baseload power and supporting desalination on the Red Sea coast.

With IMSAS now part of its toolkit, Saudi Arabia joins an emerging cohort of newcomer countries using IAEA peer-review services to build institutional capacity before pouring concrete. If the Kingdom follows through on the mission’s recommendations, it will enter the vendor-selection phase with a management framework already benchmarked against international norms—bringing Vision 2030’s nuclear pillar one step closer to reality.