The U.S. and Saudi Arabia finalized a long-sought nuclear technology-sharing deal that could allow American companies to build reactors in the kingdom?but cracks the door open for the country to enrich its own nuclear reactor fuel.
While the deal could benefit Westinghouse Electric?and other U.S. nuclear companies, it¡¯s expected to break from previous nuclear sharing agreements that have expressly barred the enrichment of uranium. It¡¯s a policy shift that has alarmed nuclear nonproliferation experts and some members of Congress, who fear it could allow Saudi Arabia to turn uranium into weapons-grade material.
U.S. Energy Secretary Chris Wright and Saudi Arabian Energy Minister Prince Abdulaziz bin Salman signed a ¡°peaceful nuclear cooperation agreement¡± as well as a ¡°bilateral safeguards agreement,¡± the Energy Department said Wednesday.
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