It has emerged that the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia is negotiating with the United States on an agreement that would boost the nation’s nuclear energy technology and generation capacity. Ensuring the safety and security of the world is paramount to all nations, and with the nuclear sector having played a role in the escalation of geopolitical tensions across the globe, dialogue between nations is essential. Nuclear power can, however, extend beyond destruction into providing a crucial energy supply for a litany of nations.
The world’s perception of nuclear power has shifted in recent years, but concerns remain
Anyone who has watched the film Oppenheimer or lived through the Cold War can easily understand the devastating and potentially world-ending power that nuclear weapons have in abundance. In the 60s, American schools conducted safety drills in case of the event of a nuclear attack. However, since then, the world has softened its view towards nuclear, as it now understands the untapped energy generation capacity that nuclear has.
While the overall perception has changed, some concerns over the weaponization of nuclear power remain. With North Korea adamant that it will keep its nuclear weapons program, which has led US President Donald Trump to instruct his government to begin testing America’s nuclear arsenal in the near future. The US has a vast array of nuclear power expertise, which the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia is hoping to learn from.
The United States and the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia are negotiating an agreement on civilian nuclear technology
With several nations across the world turning to nuclear power as an energy generation source, the US and Saudi Arabia are currently negotiating a cooperative deal for the Kingdom to gain access to US nuclear technology and uranium enrichment. The deal allows Saudi Arabia to gain valuable information on how to improve their nuclear energy generation capacity as the nation aims to decarbonize its energy sector over the next few years.
US Energy Secretary Chris Wright has praised the move by the Trump administration
Concerns over what the deal will allow are relevant; the US would certainly not want to be responsible for Saudi Arabia developing a nuclear arsenal, but the assurances given by the Kingdom guarantee that this will not be the case and that they aim to use the technology and processes learnt from the US to increase nuclear energy production.
““I think in the short run, we’ll sign a broader agreement about cooperation across the energy space in partnerships, in investments, in investigations. Nuclear is certainly one of those areas. To get a specific agreement to partner on commercial nuclear development in Saudi Arabia, that’ll take a little bit longer, that’ll be months, not weeks, but you’re gonna get there. I think it’s likely. – United States Energy Sceretary Chris Wright
Any potential nuclear deal between the United States and Saudi Arabia will require the Kingdom to sign a “123 Agreement”, which is a legal framework under the US Atomic Energy Act that is specifically designed to prevent civilian nuclear cooperation from contributing to the weaponization of the nuclear sector. Several Arab nations are turning to the nuclear sector to accelerate desalination in their countries.
Following years of failed negotiations, Saudi Arabia has finally agreed to the requirements set by the US
This is not the first time that the US and Saudi Arabia have attempted to develop a cooperation deal for the nuclear sector. In previous years, negotiations were halted as the Kingdom was reluctant to accept the “123 Agreement” set out by the US government. Now that they have accepted the requirements, the negotiations have made some promising progress. Nuclear technology has grown by leaps and bounds in recent years, as evidenced by the recent news that Rolls-Royce SMR has established a strategic partnership to advance modular deployment.
