Saudi Arabia intends to use its own uranium resources to develop the kingdom’s civilian nuclear program, the Saudi energy minister said on Wednesday.
In 2018, the largest oil exporter in the world, which wanted to get out of its dependence on black gold, announced its intention to build 16 nuclear reactors over 20 years for an amount of 80 billion dollars.
The country, which began by developing “two large reactors”, wants to “exploit (its) uranium resources”, Prince Abdelaziz bin Salman said on Wednesday during a conference on minerals, according to comments reported by the chain of state television el-Ekhbariya. “Recent exploration activities have revealed the presence of various sources of uranium in different places” in the territory, he added. According to him, “the kingdom intends to use its national uranium resources, including in joint projects with its partners, in accordance with international obligations and transparency rules, over the entire production cycle”. This includes “the production of yellowcake (solid uranium concentrate) and low-enriched uranium, and the production of nuclear fuel for the domestic market and for export,” the minister said.
Uranium enrichment is a sensitive issue because it paves the way for different uses. Enriched to a low level (3.5% to 5%), the ore is used as fuel in nuclear power plants for the production of electricity. But to a very high degree (90%), it can be used to make the atomic bomb. In 2018, Riyadh authorities pledged to “limit all atomic activities for peaceful purposes”.
Like other countries, Saudi Arabia is worried about the nuclear program of Iran, its great regional rival, which has always denied wanting to acquire atomic weapons. A 2015 agreement between Western countries and the Islamic Republic had set the enrichment threshold at 3.67%, but since the United States withdrew from the agreement in 2018 and the reinstatement of sanctions that are stifling its economy, Tehran gradually freed itself from its obligations.
Arabia, which depends on hydrocarbons to meet its growing electricity and water desalination needs, says it wants to bet on nuclear power to diversify its energy sources.
Saudi Arabia intends to use its own uranium resources to develop the kingdom’s civilian nuclear program, the Saudi energy minister said on Wednesday.
In 2018, the largest oil exporter in the world, which wanted to get out of its dependence on black gold, announced its intention to build 16 reactors…