Riyadh and Washington to sign civil nuclear energy cooperation agreement

Saudi Gazette Report

RIYADH —US Energy Secretary Chris Wright announced that the United States and Saudi Arabia will sign an agreement on long-term cooperation in civil nuclear energy and technology.

Addressing a press conference in the Saudi capital, Riyadh, on Sunday, Wright said that further details on nuclear cooperation between Washington and Riyadh will be announced later this year, according to Reuters.

The US Secretary of State touched on the “123 Agreement,” saying, “There will certainly be a 123 nuclear agreement with Saudi Arabia.” The “123 Agreement,” part of the Atomic Energy Act of 1954, establishes peaceful nuclear cooperation within a legally binding framework between the United States and its partners, establishing the foundation for long-term strategic civil nuclear partnerships globally.

U.S. law generally requires a 123 Agreement to be in place before licensing significant exports of U.S.-origin nuclear materials such as nuclear reactor fuel and equipment such as nuclear reactors and key components to another partner, according to the U.S. State Department.

The US Secretary of Energy arrived in Riyadh on Saturday, coming from the UAE, at the start of a tour of the region that will also take him to Qatar.