- The agreement allows Saudi Arabia to build reactors using American technology.
- It allows the enrichment of uranium and the reprocessing of nuclear waste.
- The Pact does not include the IAEA Additional Protocol on Lightning Inspections.
The United States and Saudi Arabia have reached a landmark deal on civilian nuclear power, the US Energy Department said on Wednesday, a deal that allows the kingdom to build nuclear reactors using US technology and enrich uranium.
A civilian nuclear deal with Saudi Arabia has been in the works for years under both President Donald Trump’s first administration and President Joe Biden’s.
However, no deal has been reached until now, in part because of warnings from non-proliferation groups that say it could offer Saudi Arabia a path to developing a nuclear weapon.
Unlike the Biden plan, the current agreement does not include a so-called additional protocol that allows the UN’s International Atomic Energy Agency to conduct intrusive lightning inspections.
The deal would also allow Saudi Arabia to enrich uranium and reprocess nuclear waste, both of which are potential paths to producing a nuclear weapon. The UAE agreed to waive both of these when it signed a similar agreement 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, along with a bilateral safeguards agreement, the US Department of Energy said in a statement.
The administration said the agreement also complies with 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 cooperate with the United States, it can cooperate with China or Russia, which have different proliferation standards.
The Energy Department said the deal now goes to Congress. Unless Congress raises enough votes to object to the deal within 90 session days, the deal will go into effect. However, it would require a two-thirds majority to override a presidential veto.
Some nuclear experts urged lawmakers to vote down the deal.
“We urge all members of Congress on both sides of the aisle to recognize the risks and use their power to reject or modify Trump’s proposed nuclear deal with Saudi Arabia so as not to open the door to nuclear proliferation in the Middle East even wider,” said Kelsey Davenport, director of nonproliferation policy at the Arms Control Association.
The roughly 30-year deal to build AP1000 reactors, worth tens of billions of dollars, will benefit Westinghouse, which is jointly owned by Canada-based Cameco and Brookfield Asset Management.
Makes us all less safe
An industry source said the deal requires a feasibility study on using US technology in Saudi Arabia. The investigation and the slow pace of building nuclear power plants and uranium enrichment means it could take many years to build the infrastructure.
Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman has repeatedly said he does not want the kingdom to build a nuclear weapon, but would if Iran did, raising concerns about potential proliferation. Several Democratic lawmakers have warned that the deal could start an arms race in the Middle East as the US-Israeli war against Iran continues.
“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,” said Sen. Edward Markey, a Democrat. “This deal would make us all less safe.”
Senator Jim Risch, a Republican, said he agrees with the kingdom’s crown prince that the deal is beneficial to both countries.
