Saudi considers building first nuclear power plant
Minister of Water and Electricity, Abdullah bin Abdul-Rahman Al Husayen, told the Al Watan newspaper: “The kingdom is working on building a pilot plant fuelled by nuclear energy” to generate electricity.
In May FrenchÂ’s Economy Minister Christine Lagarde said Saudi Arabia and France were close to finalizing a civilian nuclear energy cooperation agreement. Power demand in the kingdom has surged due to rapid economic growth, and lack of infrastructure to meet its domestic requirements.
Saudi Arabia, the largest Arab economy, already faces costly power outages of up to five hours a day in the industrial zone of the commercial hub of Jeddah. Last month, Gulf countries took a step towards easing regional power shortages by linking up their electricity grids.
Saudi Arabia, Kuwait, Qatar and Bahrain signed a power trading agreement in July that could start seeing power flow across borders soon. Civilian nuclear power programs are also being explored by a number of Gulf oil exporting countries.
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Class-action lawsuit: Hydro-Québec overcharged customers up to $1.2B
MONTREAL - A group representing Hydro-Québec customers has filed a motion for a class-action lawsuit against the public utility, alleging it overcharged customers over a five-year period.
Freddy Molima, one of the representatives of the Coalition Peuple allumé, accuses Hydro-Québec of "abusing its monopoly."
The motion, which was filed in Quebec Superior Court, claims Hydro-Québec customers paid more than they should have for electricity between 2008 and 2013, to the tune of nearly $1.2 billion.
The coalition has so far recruited nearly 40,000 participants online as part of its plan to sue the public utility.
A lawyer representing the group said Quebec's energy board, the Régie de l'énergie, also recently approved Hydro-Québec…
