RIYADH – Crown Prince Muhammad Bin Salman, deputy premier and minister of defense, laid the foundation stone for the first nuclear research reactor and a center for the development of aircraft structures in Saudi Arabia.

These are among seven strategic projects launched by the Crown Prince on Monday evening during his visit to the King Abdulaziz City for Science and Technology (KACST) in Riyadh.

The strategic projects also include those in the fields of renewable energy, atomic energy, water desalination and genetic medicine, the Saudi Press Agency reported.

Upon arrival at the headquarters of KACST, the Crown Prince was received by Minister of Energy, Industry and Mineral Resources Khalid Al-Falih and President of KACST Prince Turki Bin Saud Bin Mohammed.

The Crown Prince launched the Saudi Central Laboratory for Human Genome, which documents the first genetic map of the Saudi society in order to discover genetic mutations that may cause hereditary diseases.

He also launched the solar thermal water desalination plant in Khafji with a capacity of 60,000 cubic meters daily, with two production lines for solar panels and cells, and a laboratory for testing the reliability of solar panels in Al-Uyaynah.

He launched incubators and accelerators of the Badir Technology Incubator Program in Dammam, Al-Qassim, Madinah and Abha. This program is currently under the Arab ICT Incubators and Technoparks Association (ARTECNET).

The Crown Prince also laid the foundation stone for a desalination plant, powered by solar energy, in Yanbu with a capacity of 5200 cubic meters per day. It is the first industrial application model that uses desalination technology.

He also launched the first nuclear research reactor project in the Kingdom, and the center for the development of aircraft structures, located at King Khalid International Airport in Riyadh.