Russia's Rosatom State Nuclear Energy Cooperation has announced that it is ready to build 16 nuclear power units in Saudi Arabia in a $100 billion deal.

Yury Ushakov, aide to the President of the Russian Federation outlined the company's plans for the Gulf kingdom to journalists at a briefing, a statement said.

The announcement comes a year after Russia and Saudi Arabia signed an agreement to work together on “peaceful” nuclear energy projects.

Ushakov said: "There are prospects for cooperation in the field of nuclear energy. The intergovernmental agreement on cooperation between Rosatom and Science City of King Abdullah of Saudi Arabia, which was signed in June of 2015, is under implementation.

"Our company, which has the most advanced technologies, is ready to join the project on construction of 16 nuclear power reactors in the kingdom of Saudi Arabia. The project is provided until 2030, its cost is $100 billion," he said.

In May, the First deputy CEO of Rosatom, Kirill Komarov, said that the nuclear programme of Saudi Arabia is very ambitious and envisages the construction of 16 nuclear power units in the country.

Rosatom brings together over 360 nuclear companies and research and development institutions that operate in the civilian and defence sectors and the world's only nuclear icebreaker fleet.

The company currently holds projects for the construction of 30 nuclear power plants, from which 21 are abroad in such countries as India, China, Turkey, Vietnam, Finland and Hungary.