Saudi Arabia advances in nuclear ambition amidst uranium plans
Reuters reported that the Saudi Arabian government announced further developments in its nuclear programme on Monday. Energy Minister Abdulaziz bin Salman revealed plans for uranium enrichment and its subsequent sale.
The minister stated that Riyadh will continue with efforts to build the first nuclear power plant in the country, which would be the second in the region.
"We will enrich uranium and then sell the semi-finished product for the production of nuclear fuel," bin Salman announced during a conference in the city of Dhahran, located in the eastern part of Saudi Arabia.
The Saudi Arabian government aims to invest in nuclear energy
In order to raise funds for the construction of the nuclear power plant, the authorities in Riyadh also plan to increase the export of mineral resources.
The Saudi nuclear programme began in 2010, and Riyadh is developing it in collaboration with companies primarily from Japan and South Korea. Additionally, towards the end of the previous decade, an agreement was made with the Chinese corporation, China National Nuclear Corporation, regarding the exploration and exploitation of uranium deposits in Saudi Arabia.
Reuters noted that as early as 2018, bin Salman stated that Saudi authorities would base decisions regarding their own nuclear weapons programme on Iran's stance on the matter.
The only currently operational nuclear power plant on the Arabian Peninsula is located in the United Arab Emirates, and it remains the sole facility of its kind in the Arab countries. When launching its first unit in April 2021, the UAE authorities committed to neither enriching uranium nor processing spent nuclear fuel.
