Saudi Arabia plans to enrich and sell uranium as part of its strategy to develop a civilian nuclear power plant.
Although its first reactor is not yet active, the country’s nuclear program is currently under the Small Quantities Protocol (SQP), which limits oversight.
However, Saudi Arabia has requested the IAEA to end the SQP and implement the full Comprehensive Safeguards Agreement (CSA) starting 2025.
This note delves into the following key aspects:
- Saudi reasons to allow CSA inspection
- Saudi-U.S. benefits from the CSA
- Competition for the Saudi nuclear plant
- Saudi preferences between nuclear plant bidders
The note also sheds light on why Saudi Crown Prince Mohammad Bin Salman (MBS) is delaying his decision regarding Saudi nuclear program
