Riyadh: U.S. Energy Secretary Chris Wright told reporters on Sunday in the Saudi capital Riyadh that a preliminary agreement will be signed to cooperate with the ambitions of developing the civil nuclear industry.
Wright met with Saudi Energy Minister Prince Abdulaziz bin Salman earlier Sunday, saying Riyadh and Washington are taking “a path” to reach a joint effort to develop Saudi civil nuclear program.
Wright, who first visited the Kingdom as secretary as part of the Gulf state that produces energy, said more details about the memorandum detailing energy cooperation between Riyadh and Washington, which will take place later this year.
“There will certainly be 123 agreements for the United States’ partnership and participation in nuclear participation. […] There are many ways to build a deal that can achieve both Saudi goals and the U.S. goals. ” he said.
The so-called 123 agreement with Riyadh refers to Section 123 of the United States Atomic Energy Act of 1954, which must allow the U.S. government and U.S. companies to cooperate with the entities of the Kingdom to develop the civil nuclear industry.
Wright said Saudi authorities have not agreed to the requirements set for the bill. It specifies nine non-proliferation standards that nine countries must meet to prevent them from using the technology to develop nuclear weapons or transfer sensitive materials to others.
Previous discussions have been difficult to progress because Saudi Arabia does not want to sign a deal that ruled out the possibility of enriching uranium or reprocessing spent fuel – two potential bomb avenues.
Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman has long said that Saudi Arabia will follow suit if Iran develops nuclear weapons, a position that has attracted deep attention from arms control advocates, with some U.S. lawmakers in terms of possible U.S. civil affairs nuclear deal.
Wright did not mention a broader arrangement with the Kingdom, which Joe Biden, has been seeking and has included a civil nuclear agreement and security assurances in hopes that this will normalize relations between Saudi Arabia and Israel.
Under the 2030 reform plan of the Crown Prince, Saudi Arabia is the world’s largest oil exporter, and it is seeking to generate significant renewable energy and reduce emissions. At least some are expected to come from nuclear energy.
