[Federal Register Volume 82, Number 233 (Wednesday, December 6, 2017)]
[Notices]
[Pages 57572-57574]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 2017-26225]


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DEPARTMENT OF COMMERCE

International Trade Administration


U.S.-Kingdom of Saudi Arabia (KSA) Civil Nuclear Energy 
Roundtable

AGENCY: International Trade Administration, U.S. Department of 
Commerce.

ACTION: Notice of U.S.-Kingdom of Saudi Arabia (KSA) Civil Nuclear 
Energy Roundtable.

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Roundtable Description

    The United States Department of Commerce's (DOC) International 
Trade Administration (ITA), with the support of the U.S. Department of 
Energy (DOE), is organizing a U.S.-Kingdom of Saudi Arabia (KSA) Civil 
Nuclear Energy Roundtable, to be held December 17-18, 2017, in Riyadh, 
Saudi Arabia.
    The purpose of the Roundtable is to initiate a partnership process 
between U.S. civil nuclear energy companies and the King Abdullah City 
for Atomic and Renewable Energy (K.A.CARE), and between the U.S. and 
KSA civil nuclear industries. The Roundtable will provide an 
opportunity for in-depth information sharing and discussion of U.S. 
industry's technologies, products, and services to support the KSA's 
nuclear power deployment plans.

Roundtable Setting

    Saudi Arabia has no nuclear reactors in operation or under 
construction but recently announced plans to build its first two 
nuclear reactors and award a construction contract for the project by 
the end of 2018. Adding nuclear power to its energy generation mix 
would allow Saudi Arabia to diversify its energy sources and respond to 
increased electricity demands. The development of its nuclear power 
program also aligns with the Kingdom's Vision 2030 plan, an economic 
and social reform program that aims to reduce Saudi Arabia's dependence 
on oil, diversify its economy, and develop public service sectors such 
as health, education, infrastructure, recreation, and tourism. Since 
2010, Saudi Arabia has expressed interest in nuclear power for 
electricity generation, desalination and long-term R&D, as well as 
small and advanced reactor designs. To achieve its civil nuclear goals, 
Saudi Arabia is pursuing international partnerships to develop its 
legal and regulatory infrastructure, incorporate advanced technologies, 
and train and educate its workforce. The KSA's upcoming tender for two 
nuclear reactors is valued at over $10 billion and follow-on projects 
could be worth tens of billions more.

Roundtable Goals

    The Roundtable will focus on two areas: (1) Advanced Reactor 
Technologies and (2) Human Capacity/Workforce Development. The goal of 
the Roundtable is to discuss how U.S. providers of advanced reactor 
technologies and workforce development services can support K.A.CARE's 
plans in these areas.

Advanced Reactor Technologies

    Potential participants that are U.S. advanced reactor technology 
providers should be willing to partner with the KSA and have technology 
that is scheduled to be deployed in the late 2020s to early 2030s or 
sooner. U.S. companies in this area include providers of advanced light 
water small modular reactors (SMRs), high temperature gas reactors, and 
sodium cooled fast reactors. Advanced reactor technology providers will 
receive heightened consideration if they are reactor designers and can 
demonstrate one or more of the following attributes.
     Be a recipient of funds from the U.S. Department of 
Energy's (DOE) Gateway for Accelerated Innovation in Nuclear (GAIN);
     Be a Federal cost share recipient;
     Have DOE Technical Readiness Level 3 or greater;

[[Page 57573]]

     Have experimental work underway at a university or U.S. 
National Laboratory facilities.

Human Capacity/Workforce Development

    Potential participants that focus on Human Capacity/Workforce 
Development may be U.S. academic, research, or commercial entities and 
should be willing to partner with the KSA. Applicants in this area 
should focus on the following workforce development areas and have one 
or more of the following attributes.
     Public education and awareness of nuclear energy and 
careers in science, technology, engineering and math (STEM).
    [cir] Practitioners with proven record of developing and deploying 
public education programs through k-12 school systems with a focus on 
nuclear energy and STEM careers.
     Education and capacity-building for political and 
community leaders and decision-makers.
    [cir] Practitioners with a proven track record of developing and 
deploying education and capacity-building programs for elected 
officials, community, and governmental leaders. Programs should 
include: (1) Public communication on nuclear energy and nuclear issues; 
(2) emergency planning for nuclear facilities; and (3) stakeholder 
engagement on nuclear energy issues.
     Vocational and technician training.
    [cir] Providers of nuclear energy-specific training that meets U.S. 
national commercial nuclear training and qualification standards 
including, but not limited to training for non-licensed operators, 
radiation protection technicians, chemistry technicians, 
instrumentation and control technicians, mechanical maintenance 
technicians, electrical maintenance technicians, quality assurance 
specialists, welders, and non-destructive examination technicians.
     University education and research.
    [cir] Universities with strong nuclear engineering degree program 
(graduate and undergraduate), a proven track record of nuclear energy 
R&D and an operating training/test reactor. Universities must also have 
strong undergraduate and graduate degree programs in Electrical, 
Chemical, Mechanical and Civil engineering.
     R&D collaboration for human resource development.
    [cir] Internationally recognized research institutions that have a 
proven track record of developing international human resource capacity 
through collaborative R&D programs.
     Nuclear plant operations staffing, training, 
organizational development and leadership development.
    [cir] Commercial nuclear energy facility licensee with a 
demonstrated record of reactor operations, training, human resource, 
leadership and organizational development.
    [cir] Practitioners with a demonstrated track record of developing 
human capital and organizational development plans for nuclear 
utilities.

Roundtable Format

    U.S. providers of the above technologies, products and services 
will engage in group discussions and networking with K.A.CARE and other 
KSA government officials to discuss potential partnering opportunities. 
Participants will meet with and present their products and services to 
representatives from K.A.CARE and the KSA's human resource and 
university community with the goal of gaining a better understanding of 
partnering opportunities to support KSA's civil nuclear sector.

Event Dates and Proposed Agenda

    * * * * specific events and meeting times have yet to be confirmed 
* * * *

Day 1: Sunday, December 17

    This day will begin with an opening session, followed by two 
parallel sessions on advanced reactor technologies and human capacity 
development. Each session will start with a presentation by K.A.CARE on 
the Government of Saudi Arabia's needs in each focus area and the 
framework for partnering with U.S. civil nuclear companies. Following 
this, participants will:
     Participate in discussions with K.A.CARE consisting of 
presentations and dialogues on advanced reactor technologies and human 
capacity/workforce development.
     Participate in networking opportunities with K.A.CARE 
officials.
    At the conclusion of the day, there will be a networking reception 
with senior officials from K.A.CARE and the KSA government.

Day 2: Monday, December 18

    Parallel sessions will continue, including presentations, panel 
sessions and discussion. At the conclusion of the day, there will be a 
networking reception with senior officials from K.A.CARE and the KSA 
government.

Participation Requirements

    Applicants must sign and submit a completed Roundtable application 
form and satisfy all of the conditions of participation in order to be 
eligible for consideration. A minimum of 15 and maximum of 30 
applicants will be selected to participate in the Roundtable. The 
Department of Commerce will evaluate applications and inform applicants 
of selection decisions on a rolling basis until the maximum number of 
participants has been selected. The first eight applicants selected are 
eligible to have two representatives at the Roundtable (if desired). 
For applications received after the first eight, there is a limit of 
one representative per organization. For purposes of this event, ``U.S. 
industry'' refers to U.S. companies, academic or research institutions, 
or trade associations.

Conditions for Participation

     Applicants must submit a completed registration form 
signed by a company, trade association, or academic or research 
institution official, together with supplemental materials, including 
adequate information on the organization's products and/or services, 
primary market objectives, and goals for participation.
     If the DOC receives an incomplete application, the DOC may 
reject the application, request additional information, or take the 
lack of information into account in its evaluation.
     Application forms must be received by the deadline noted 
in the event Federal Register Notice.
     Each applicant must certify that their organization is not 
majority owned or controlled by a foreign government entity (or foreign 
government entities).
     Applicants must certify that the products or services it 
seeks to promote through the Roundtable are either produced in the 
United States, or, if not, marketed under the name of a U.S. firm and 
have demonstrable U.S. content as a percentage of the value of the 
finished product or service.
     In the case of a trade association, the applicant must 
certify that it will only be representing companies during the 
Roundtable that satisfy the certification requirement in the bullet 
above.
     In the case of an academic or research institution, the 
applicant must certify that as part of its activities at the 
Roundtable, it will represent the interests of the organization's U.S.-
based operations.
    In addition, applicants must:
     Certify that the export of the products and services that 
it wishes to export through the Roundtable would be in compliance with 
U.S. export controls and regulations;

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     Certify that it has identified to the Department of 
Commerce any business matter pending before any bureau or office in the 
Department of Commerce;
     Certify that it has identified any pending litigation 
(including any administrative proceedings) to which it is a party that 
involves the Department of Commerce; and
     Sign and submit an agreement that it and its affiliates 
(1) have not and will not engage in the bribery of foreign officials in 
connection with a company's/participant's involvement in this event, 
and (2) maintain and enforce a policy that prohibits the bribery of 
foreign officials.

Selection Criteria

    Selection will be based on the following criteria:
     Suitability of the company's (or, in the case of another 
organization, represented companies' or constituents') products or 
services to the KSA market.
     The company's (or, in the case of another organization, 
represented companies' or constituents') potential for business in the 
KSA, including likelihood of exports resulting from the Roundtable.
     Consistency of the applicant company's (or, in the case of 
another organization, represented companies' or constituents') goals 
and objectives with the stated Roundtable scope.
     Applicants will be evaluated on their ability to meet the 
Roundtable focus area criteria (advanced reactor technologies and human 
capacity/workforce development).
    Applicants are encouraged to send representatives at the CEO, 
President, Vice President, or Senior VP level. For academic and 
research institutions, representatives should be knowledgeable about 
their organization's program offerings and capability to partner 
internationally.
    Referrals from political organizations and any documents containing 
references to partisan political activities (including political 
contributions) will be removed from an applicant's submission and will 
not be considered.

Fees and Expenses

    After a company or organization has been selected to participate in 
the Roundtable, a payment to the DOC in the form of a participation fee 
is required. The fee covers direct and indirect costs related to DOC 
support for organizing the Roundtable.
     The fee to participate in the Roundtable is $1,740 for a 
large company, trade association, or a university or research 
institution. The fee to participate in the Roundtable is $1,313 for a 
small or medium-sized company (SME).
     The fee for each additional representative (large company, 
trade association, university/research institution) $1,740. The fee for 
each additional representative (SME) is $1,313.
     To apply for the Roundtable, complete the event 
application at https://emenuapps.ita.doc.gov/ePublic/TM/8R0T.
    Participants selected for the Roundtable will be expected to pay 
for the cost of all personal expenses, including, but not limited to, 
international travel, lodging, meals, transportation, communication, 
and incidentals, unless otherwise noted. In the event that the 
Roundtable is cancelled, no personal expenses paid in anticipation of 
the event will be reimbursed. However, participation fees for a 
cancelled Roundtable will be reimbursed to the extent they have not 
already been expended in the anticipation of the event.

Visas

    All attendees are responsible for handling their own visa 
processing to enter the KSA. Any private sector visitor to the KSA must 
submit an original, signed passport valid for six months beyond their 
stay in the KSA, with at least two adjacent, blank passport pages 
available for Saudi visa stamp and Saudi entry stamps. Amendment pages 
in the back of the passport are not suitable for a Saudi Arabia visa. A 
Saudi visa is usually processed in 4 to 7 business days after all 
materials, including signed enjaz forms, have been received by the visa 
processing company. There are numerous companies with which the KSA 
Embassy in Washington, DC works to handle visa applications. Accepted 
applicants will receive information on how to process their visa 
application.
    All visitors to the KSA also require a letter of invitation from a 
Saudi partner. DOC will work with K.A.CARE to facilitate a Letter of 
Invitation for Roundtable participants.

Timeframe for Recruitment and Participation

    Recruitment for participation in the Roundtable will be conducted 
in an open and public manner, including publication in the Federal 
Register, posting on the DOC trade mission calendar, and notices to 
industry trade associations and other multiplier groups. The 
recruitment period will end two weeks after publication in the Federal 
Register or when recruitment is at capacity. The Department of Commerce 
will evaluate applications and inform applicants of selection decisions 
on a rolling basis until the maximum number of participants has been 
selected. Applications received after December 8, 2017, will be 
considered only if space and scheduling permit.

Contacts

Jonathan Chesebro, Industry & Analysis, Office of Energy and 
Environmental Industries, Washington, DC, Tel: (202) 482-1297, Email: 
[email protected]
Devin Horne, Industry & Analysis, Office of Energy and Environmental 
Industries, Washington, DC, Tel: (202) 482-0775, Email: 
[email protected]

Edward A. O'Malley,
Director, Office of Energy and Environmental Industries.
[FR Doc. 2017-26225 Filed 12-5-17; 8:45 am]
 BILLING CODE 3510-DR-P