Saudi Arabia’s Ambitious Bid to Harness Local Uranium for Nuclear Power
Saudi Arabia has repeatedly expressed its desire to build and develop its own nuclear program, including uranium enrichment efforts, which has raised concerns among Western countries, especially the United States and Israel, because uranium enrichment plays a role in the production of nuclear weapons.
(DEFENCE SECURITY ASIA) — Even though Saudi Arabia is recognized as one of the world’s largest oil-exporting countries, the Arab country still wants to use the uranium it obtains from local sources to build its own nuclear energy sector.
This is part of the Arab country’s effort to reduce its dependence on oil and diversify its sources of energy.
Saudi Arabia’s Energy Minister, Prince Abdulaziz bin Salman, stated that the country’s mining efforts have shown that it possesses a diverse portfolio of uranium that can be exploited to develop a nuclear technology-based energy industry.
Saudi Arabia, in cooperation with China, has started mining local uranium resources at the Al-Hail Region in the country.
The Gulf Arab nation has repeatedly expressed its desire to develop a nuclear program, including uranium enrichment efforts, which have raised concerns among Western countries, especially the United States and Israel, due to the potential role of uranium enrichment in nuclear weapons production.
At the moment, the true goals of Saudi Arabia regarding its nuclear aspirations are not entirely clear, except for the aim of diversifying its energy sources, which are currently heavily reliant on oil.
However, in 2018, Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman reportedly stated that the country would develop its own nuclear weapons if its main rival, Iran, succeeded in developing its own nuclear weapons.
For Middle East analysts, MBS’s statement is a clear indication of Saudi Arabia’s direction in pursuing nuclear energy.
The Saudi energy minister stated, “Saudi Arabia aims to exploit its locally sourced uranium in line with international commitments and transparency standards.”
Saudi Arabia’s involvement in nuclear technology covers all aspects of the nuclear energy cycle, including yellowcake production, low enriched uranium, and nuclear fuel production for domestic use and export.
Currently, only the United Arab Emirates (UAE) has a nuclear power plant, but the Gulf nation has committed not to engage in uranium enrichment or reprocessing of nuclear spent fuel.
Nuclear reactors require enriched uranium with a purity level of 5 percent, but the same technology can be used to enrich heavy metals to higher grades for weaponry purposes.
Saudi Arabia is intensifying its efforts to master nuclear technology and has reportedly considered an offer from China to build a nuclear power plant in the eastern region of Saudi Arabia, near its borders with Qatar and the UAE.
This is further evidence of the increasingly close diplomatic relationship between Riyadh and Beijing.
The Chinese government agency, China National Nuclear Corp (CNNC), has submitted an offer to build a nuclear power plant in the eastern region of Saudi Arabia, according to Riyadh officials.
The Chinese Ministry of Foreign Affairs did not confirm the report by the Wall Street Journal regarding its agency’s offer, but its spokesperson stated that Beijing would continue to maintain mutually beneficial cooperation in various fields, including nuclear energy, while adhering to international regulations governing the nuclear energy industry.
Previously, Saudi Arabia was reported to have attempted to collaborate with the United States in its efforts to implement a civilian nuclear program, as one of the conditions for establishing diplomatic relations with Israel.
However, Israel rejected Saudi Arabia’s proposal to establish a civilian nuclear program as a condition for diplomatic relations with the Jewish state.
U.S. officials were reported to have said that they would only share nuclear energy technology if an agreement were signed to prevent uranium enrichment or plutonium processing in reactors, which are two methods of developing nuclear weapons.
According to influential media reports, Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman is willing to cooperate with the Chinese agency if negotiations with the United States reach an impasse.
Saudi Arabia plans to build 16 nuclear power plants in the country over a 25-year period at a cost of $80 billion as part of its efforts to reduce its reliance on oil and gas, even though Saudi Arabia’s oil and gas reserves are the second largest in the world. — DSA
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