US and Saudi Arabia strike landmark civil nuclear power deal

The United States and Saudi Arabia have finalized a significant civil nuclear power agreement, enabling the kingdom to construct nuclear reactors utilizing American technology and to enrich uranium. The U.S. Energy Department announced the landmark deal, which has been under negotiation for years across multiple administrations.

This agreement, known as a 123 Agreement, allows Saudi Arabia to enrich uranium and reprocess nuclear waste. These capabilities are viewed by non-proliferation advocates as potential pathways to developing nuclear weapons. Notably, the deal does not include an Additional Protocol, which would permit the UN's International Atomic Energy Agency to conduct intrusive snap inspections, a safeguard present in a similar 2009 U.S. deal with the UAE.

Concerns have been raised by nuclear experts and non-proliferation groups, who urge Congress to reject or modify the deal. Kelsey Davenport, Director for non-proliferation policy at the Arms Control Association, warned that the agreement could widen the risk of nuclear proliferation in the Middle East. Saudi Arabia has previously indicated that if a nuclear partnership with the U.S. did not materialize, it would seek cooperation with countries like China or Russia, which operate under different proliferation standards.

The pact, signed by U.S. Energy Secretary Chris Wright and Saudi counterpart Prince Abdulaziz bin Salman, is now before Congress. It will go into effect unless Congress votes to object within 90 session days, though a two-thirds majority would be required to override a presidential veto. The approximately 30-year deal, estimated to be worth tens of billions of dollars, is expected to benefit Westinghouse, a company jointly owned by Cameco and Brookfield Asset Management. An industry source indicated that the deal includes a feasibility study for using U.S. technology in Saudi Arabia, and the actual construction of infrastructure could take many years due to the slow pace of building nuclear plants and uranium enrichment processes.

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We urge all members of Congress on both sides of the aisle to recognize 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.