US announces nuclear power deal with Saudi Arabia
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Several Democratic US lawmakers have raised concerns that the deal could spark an arms race in the Middle East.
PHOTO: REUTERS
- The US and Saudi Arabia have signed a civil nuclear power deal allowing Saudi Arabia to build reactors and enrich uranium using American technology, bypassing stricter inspection protocols.
- The agreement permits uranium enrichment and nuclear waste reprocessing, unlike similar US deals with the UAE, raising concerns about potential nuclear weapon development.
- The deal awaits Congressional approval amid fears from some lawmakers that it could trigger a Middle East arms race and increase regional instability.
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WASHINGTON – The US and Saudi Arabia have reached an agreement on civil nuclear power, said the US Energy Department on July 22, a deal that would allow the kingdom to build nuclear reactors using American technology and to enrich uranium.
A civil nuclear deal with Saudi Arabia had been in the works for years during both US President Donald Trump’s first administration and that of former president Joe Biden.
No deal has come together before now, however, in part because of warnings from non-proliferation groups that say that it could offer Saudi Arabia a path to develop a nuclear weapon.
Unlike the Biden plan, the current deal does not include a so-called Additional Protocol that allows the UN’s International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) to carry out intrusive snap inspections.
Over a year ago, Saudi Arabia switched from light-touch IAEA oversight designed for countries with very limited nuclear activities to regular safeguards with monitoring of declared nuclear facilities. This was part of a planned nuclear expansion that it has long said will include enrichment.
The Additional Protocol is designed to guard against secret nuclear activities, a concern regarding Saudi Arabia since Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman has repeatedly said Riyadh will develop nuclear weapons if its regional rival Iran does.
Iran implemented the Additional Protocol under a landmark 2015 nuclear deal with major powers, but that deal unravelled after Trump pulled the US out of it in 2018.
Iran stopped implementing the Additional Protocol in 2023.
The new agreement with Washington would allow Saudi Arabia to enrich uranium and reprocess nuclear waste, both of which are potential pathways to making a nuclear weapon.
The United Arab Emirates agreed to forgo both of those when it signed a similar deal with the US in 2009.
US Energy Secretary Chris Wright and his counterpart, Prince Abdulaziz bin Salman, signed the pact, known as a 123 Agreement, alongside a bilateral safeguards agreement, said the US Energy Department in a press statement.
The administration said the deal also abides by non-proliferation agreements in the US Atomic Energy Act, which are among the world’s strongest.
Saudi Arabia has long said that if it does not partner with the US, it could partner with China or Russia, which have different proliferation standards.
The IAEA has not commented on the US announcement yet.
The Energy Department said the deal now goes to Congress. Unless Congress raises votes to object to the deal within 90 session days, the deal will go into force. But it would need to have a two-thirds majority to override a presidential veto.
Some nuclear experts called on lawmakers to vote down the deal.
“We urge all members of Congress on both sides of the aisle to recognise the risks and to exercise their power to reject or modify Trump’s proposed nuclear deal with Saudi Arabia so as not to open the door for nuclear proliferation in the Middle East even wider,” said Kelsey Davenport, director for non-proliferation policy at the Arms Control Association.
The roughly 30-year deal for the construction of AP1000 reactors, which is worth tens of billions of dollars, would benefit Westinghouse, jointly owned by Canada-based Cameco and Brookfield Asset Management.
‘Make us all less safe’
An industry source said the deal requires a feasibility study on using US technology in Saudi Arabia. The study and slow pace of building nuclear power plants and uranium enrichment mean it could take many years to build the infrastructure.
Several Democratic lawmakers have raised concerns that the deal could spark an arms race in the Middle East.
Senator Edward Markey, a Democrat, said: “They are allowing Saudi Arabia, a belligerent and authoritarian nation, to develop nuclear weapons technologies while starting a war with Iran under the guise of preventing an Iranian nuclear bomb. This deal would make us all less safe.”
Republican Senator Jim Risch said he agreed with the kingdom’s Crown Prince that the deal stands to benefit both countries. REUTERS
