U.S. President Donald Trump (right) and Saudi Arabia’s Crown Prince and Prime Minister Mohammed bin Salman (second from left) meet in the Oval Office of the White House on November 18, 2025 in Washington, DC.
Win McNamee | Getty Images
The United States signed an agreement Wednesday to develop a civilian nuclear program in Saudi Arabia.
The Department of Energy said the agreement lays the legal foundation for a multi-decade, multi-billion dollar partnership. The ministry said this would give American companies access to Saudi Arabia’s nuclear energy program and encourage exports of American technology in the sector.
Energy Secretary Chris Wright and Saudi Prince Abdulaziz bin Salman also signed a bilateral agreement on nuclear safeguards.
Wright said the deal would rely on the United States’ “world-best nuclear technology and scientists while upholding the highest standards of nuclear safety and nonproliferation.”
The agreement will be submitted to Parliament for review, the ministry said. U.S. cooperation with foreign countries on civil nuclear power generation requires such a review under the Atomic Energy Act.
Democratic lawmakers have expressed concerns about the deal’s impact on the Middle East. The United States and Saudi Arabia signed the deal as Washington bombed Iran to force it to abandon its nuclear ambitions.
“This deal will spark a nuclear race in the region and further disincentivize Iran from restricting its programs,” Sen. Chris Murphy of Connecticut said in a social media post.
US industry beneficiaries
Westinghouse CEO Dan Sumner described the deal as a “groundbreaking step.” Sumner told CNBC that this will strengthen energy security and expand opportunities for U.S. industry.
Westinghouse is the developer of a large nuclear reactor called the AP1000, which is considered a key technology in the expansion of nuclear energy. Owned by Canadian uranium miners Cameco and brookfielda major investor in energy infrastructure.
With this agreement, Westinghouse, Bechtel, BWXT, centrus Jonathan Hinze, president of UxC, a company that provides information on the nuclear fuel market, said other companies plan to sell sensitive nuclear equipment to Saudi Arabia.
“Without this type of nuclear trade agreement, U.S. nuclear companies will remain locked out of the market,” Hinze said. “Saudi Arabia will likely use nuclear technology and supplies from other countries such as France, Russia and China.”
Saudi Arabia currently produces almost all of its domestic energy from fossil fuels. According to the International Energy Agency, nearly 60% of electricity comes from natural gas and about 40% from oil.
It is OPEC’s largest oil producing country.
